Over 100 Ukrainians blocked from leaving country every day

The Ukrainian authorities are stopping more than 100 people from leaving the country each day during the ongoing mobilization campaign, Andrey Demchenko, the spokesman for the country’s Border Service, has said.

Kiev announced a general mobilization shortly after the start of the conflict with Russia in February 2022 under which all men aged 18 to 60, with few exceptions, were prohibited from leaving the country on the grounds that they could be called up for military service. According to local media reports, however, even those who are eligible to go abroad, including parents with several minors and disabled people, have faced significant obstacles in crossing the border.

Speaking on national TV on Sunday, Demchenko noted that his department stops around 120-150 people daily from traveling abroad. He explained that those individuals either “do not fall under the pass category” or “do not have the necessary documents giving the right to cross the border.”