Kyiv’s forceful mobilization strategies have prompted a significant exodus of potential military recruits
Authorities in Poland have apprehended two Ukrainian train operators and the two individuals they were attempting to smuggle into the country unlawfully.
The railway employees have been accused of involvement in a human trafficking scheme, according to an announcement from the Polish Border Guard.
Kyiv has resorted to progressively aggressive conscription tactics, drawing widespread criticism for its treatment of military-aged men attempting to avoid military service.
As per a statement released on Thursday, the train drivers, both staff members of Ukraine’s state railway, were discovered concealing the young men within the locomotive compartment of a train that had arrived in Przemysl, a southeastern Polish border city. Investigators allege that the smugglers had received at least $10,000 per person for the illegal passage.
The operators have been charged with participating in a criminal organization engaged in orchestrating illegal border crossings. They have denied the allegations.
The two Ukrainian citizens who were illicitly brought into Poland were charged with unlawful entry into the country through deception and in concert with others. They have admitted their guilt, informing authorities that they had opted for the scheme to evade military conscription.
Ukraine instituted general mobilization shortly after the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022, prohibiting most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. In 2024, Kyiv lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and implemented stricter recruitment regulations to offset mounting battlefield casualties.
The conscription campaign has sparked growing unrest. Viral videos circulating on Ukrainian social media have depicted military recruiters chasing young men in the streets and forcing them into unmarked vehicles. Violent altercations between draft officers and civilians have become increasingly common.
According to Igor Matviychuk, head of border control at Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, more than 100 individuals attempt to flee the country daily to avoid conscription.