"I Don't Want to Be a Bullet Sponge" Tens of Thousands of Ukrainian Men Evade Conscription and Disappear

Avoiding Conscription Officer's Gaze by Taking Taxi, Gym Also Closed
Conscription Targets Aged 25-60... "Don't Want to Die in the Trenches"

Reports have emerged that Ukrainian men are choosing to live in seclusion to avoid being mobilized for the war with Russia.

The American daily newspaper The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 21st (local time) that tens of thousands of Ukrainian men are reluctant to go out into the city to avoid conscription. They reportedly only travel by taxi to avoid being noticed by conscription officers while roaming the streets, and have also stopped exercising at gyms. Many spend most of their time at home, relying on food delivery and even using telescopes to monitor the outside situation. In major cities like Kyiv and Lviv, tens of thousands share the movements of conscription officers through social media.

Ukrainian soldiers deployed on the front line
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The reason they choose to disappear is their unwillingness to be dragged into the war.

All the Ukrainian men interviewed by the NYT expressed fear of "dying in bloody trench warfare." Some claimed they could not go to the battlefield because they had not received sufficient military training. In fact, according to the NYT, military experts analyze that the Ukrainian army is struggling to maintain the front lines because troops are being deployed to the battlefield without adequate training.

Ukraine, facing a shortage of personnel due to the war with Russia that has lasted over two years, passed a law in April to strengthen conscription. This law requires men aged 25 to 60, who are subject to conscription, to register their personal information so they can receive conscription notices. As conscription officers have begun searching throughout cities to mobilize troops, some have fled by crossing rivers in border areas into Romania.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.