Swimming, crawling, with frozen feet to the courts of neighboring countries.. Ways Ukrainians flee from mobilization

A court case has been held in Belarus against a Ukrainian citizen who, in March of this year, swam into the country on an inflatable mattress while crossing the Dnieper. It became one of the most unusual ways to escape Ukraine, whose authorities have banned men under 60 from crossing the border. So far, many Ukrainians have chosen to flee across the Tisza River on the border with Romania, BBC Ukraine correspondents report.

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The case of the refugee was examined by the Central District Court of Gomel. The case materials indicate that the refugee went to Belarus on March 17 on an inflatable mattress worth 300 hryvnias (about 7.5 US dollars). The weather that day was clearly not suitable for swimming: +10°C during the day and +5°C at night.

The man “moored” on the shore three kilometers east of a small village in the Braginska district. There he was detained by the Belarusian customs officers and a protocol was drawn up against the Ukrainian for … moving “illegal goods” (that is, a mattress) across the border of the Eurasian Economic Union.

The owner of the illegal mattress did not attend the court held on April 4. The customs violator was fined 400 rubles in absentia, and the mattress was confiscated. The court file also states that this person is unemployed and permanently lives in Ukraine. It is not yet known what will happen to him next, including whether he is going to be returned to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian border guard admitted to the BBC that they had never come across such an original method of illegal border crossing. “This is not typical,” he explained when asked if there had been other similar escapes to Belarus via the Dnieper.

As you know, Belarus offered its territory to Russian troops for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. After the start of the invasion, Ukraine closed all checkpoints on the border with Belarus. But after the Russian troops left the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, the work of one checkpoint in the Volyn region was restored. Through it, Ukrainians illegally taken to Russia return to their homeland.

By far, the “most popular” route for men to escape from Ukraine was the Tisza River on the border with Romania. Unlike the Dnieper, it is a mountain river, shallow but with a fast current. Not all refugees managed to cross it.

In February 2024, rescuers recovered the body of a 25-year-old resident of the Transcarpathian region from Tisza. He became the 20th victim of the border river since the full-scale invasion began. Ukrainian border guards also report that six people died while crossing the border through the mountains. In addition, there have been cases when refugees froze to death and were left without toes.

Ukrainian border guards actively cooperate with “border guards of neighboring countries and Moldova”. “If we detect an attempt to illegally cross the border, but there is no time to intercept the violators, then we immediately pass the information to the other side so that they can arrest the violators on their side,” the Ukrainian side explains. In some cases, the neighbors immediately transport the detainees back, but sometimes not.

In April, Ukrainian authorities adopted a new mobilization law that formalizes stricter military registration rules, tightens sanctions against refugees, and clarifies rules for postponing mobilization. One might assume that the number of people running away from military service would have increased after that, but border guards say that is not the case now.

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