From Jan. 1 to Aug. 1, border guards detained 911 men aged 18 to 60 who tried to leave Ukraine outside official checkpoints. That is more than double the 423 men detained over the same period in 2022–2024 combined.
According to the State Border Guard Service, 336 men were stopped in 2024, 26 in 2023, and 61 in 2022. Since 2022, regional figures show:
- 531 men detained in Rivne Oblast
- 484 in Zhytomyr Oblast
- 281 in Volyn Oblast
- 38 in Kyiv Oblast
On Aug. 20, the Cabinet drafted a bill proposing new penalties for military-age men who violate rules foreign travel during martial law. Under current regulations, only men younger than 18, older than 60 and those exempted from service for health reasons are allowed to travel outside Ukraine.
On Aug. 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directed the government to simplify border crossings for Ukrainians up to age 22, asking Ukrainian PM Yulia Svyrydenko and the military to develop measures to ease travel for younger, not yet eligible for mobilization, citizens.