Ukraine: Three men drowned, likely trying to leave the country

The bodies of three men who were “probably” trying to leave Ukraine were found in a river bordering Romania and were often used by those fleeing military mobilization, Ukrainian border guards said on Tuesday.

In Ukraine, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited, with rare exceptions, from leaving the country under martial law. Deserters, as they are called, face up to twelve years in prison for desertion and ten years for insubordination or refusal to fight.

However, since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, many men have left, illegally or legally, to avoid conscription. These fears are growing more and more ten days before the entry into force of a new law that should allow the mobilization of more soldiers.

The bodies were removed from the Tisa River (Tyssa in Ukrainian) in Transcarpathia on Monday, border guards said in a statement. According to the same source, a fisherman found the “lifeless” body of a 28-year-old man who lived in the west of the country.

Two of them are of fighting age

Border guards then discovered two more bodies, they said. One was 20 years old and lived in north-eastern Ukraine, and the identity of the third “has not yet been established.”

Thus, at least two of them were of fighting age. However, the Ukrainian authorities did not clearly confirm that they were fleeing mobilization. “Most likely, these were people trying to cross the border illegally,” border service spokesman Andrei Demchenko nevertheless told AFP.

The watercourse is “dangerous,” its services also insisted, condemning “criminals seeking illegal profits” who offer to transport it. Authorities regularly warn about these risks: the Tisza River is often used by people wishing to flee the country.

The controversial new law on military mobilization is due to come into force on May 18. Sanctions for those evading mobilization will be tightened.

Authorities want to mobilize more men to strengthen the ranks of an army that is struggling to recruit volunteers. But the text, released in April by President Volodymyr Zelensky, is controversial because it does not provide for a demobilization period for soldiers.