Shocking footage has shown dozens of conscription age men being detained by Ukranian border guards after attempting to flee the country.
The footage, first posted by the X account Global Thinker citing Ukrainian journalist Vitaliy Glagola, showed 34 men being forced out of a truck on the Ukrainian-Romanian border as they tried to escape possible conscription.
Glagola reported:
A can of draft dodgers: a Mercedes carrying 34 draft dodgers was detained near the Ukrainian-Romanian border.
Today, March 8, a green Mercedes Sprinter was moving 3 kilometers from the border near the Porubne checkpoint in the Chernivtsi region. In the middle of the cargo bus – 34 men of conscription age. They had the goal of illegally crossing the border of Ukraine for the organizer’s money – 10,000 euros each. In total – 340 thousand euros.
The organizer – the driver of the bus – was also detained. The detention was carried out by Chernivtsi police officers together with border guards as part of criminal proceedings under Article 332 of the Criminal Code “Illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to five years.”
The footage was circulated by the right-leaning entrepreneur David Sacks, who compared Ukraine to the “largest prison state in the world.”
Ukrainian border guards caught 34 men of conscription age attempting to flee from Ukraine. Each of them paid €10,000 to escape the meat grinder. Ukraine is now the largest prison state in the world.pic.twitter.com/UeKmotdNKz
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) March 10, 2024
The incident took place as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of reaching an imminent conclusion despite growing indications that Ukraine’s defense may be starting to falter.
Just this weekend, Pope Francis urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “show the courage of the white flag” and agree to meet Russia at the negotiating table.
Ukrainian lawmakers have previously proposed a more severe crackdown on draft dodgers, although the proposals were ultimately scrapped after being deemed unconstitutional.
Russia is also taking steps to stop people from avoiding military service. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin passed a law banning people from leaving the country. Those who refuse to do so are subject to a variety of sanctions, including restrictions on banking, selling property, and holding a driver’s license.
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