Nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine is fighting a long war of attrition along a front stretching more than 600 miles. While Kyiv’s forces continue to resist, the pressure on manpower has become acute. Mobilisation rules bar most men of military age from leaving the country, but the steady drain of casualties, exhaustion and uncertainty is pushing some to make a different calculation: escape.
For a small but growing number, that choice means slipping out of Ukraine illegally, often through some of Europe’s most unforgiving terrain, CNN reported.
Crossing the Carpathians to find freedom
In western Ukraine, the Carpathian Mountains have become a quiet exit route. Men hike for days through snow and ravines, navigating with phone apps and tips shared on encrypted messaging channels. Many travel alone to avoid detection. Some discard food and gear at the final stretch so they can run if border guards appear.
Those who make it across into Romania are granted temporary protection under European Union rules. Romanian authorities say tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have crossed illegally since 2022. Ukrainian border guards acknowledge that many more have been intercepted before they reached the other side.
A deadly gamble
The journey is not just illegal; it is lethal. Dozens have died from exposure, falls or drowning in icy rivers that mark parts of the border. Others survive with permanent injuries. Frostbite, broken bones and long-term trauma are common among those rescued.
Mountain rescue teams in northern Romania have become unlikely first responders to Ukraine’s mobilisation crisis. Their calls often come at night, in blizzards, from men who underestimated the terrain or ran out of strength. Many are poorly equipped, wearing light jackets and trainers in subzero temperatures.
Rescue without judgment
Romanian rescuers describe their work in human terms rather than political ones. They say the men they find are not adventurers or criminals, but people who believe death in the mountains is preferable to death at the front.
The rescues take a toll on those carrying them out. Teams have spent days trapped in storms while hauling injured men to safety, risking their own lives in the process. For them, the war’s moral complexity arrives one freezing body at a time.
Smugglers and a shadow economy
For those with money, another option exists. Smuggling networks advertise openly on social media, promising “safe” crossings for fees that can run into tens of thousands of dollars. Payments are often routed through cryptocurrency. The pitch is simple: bribes, motorcycles, a short walk across the line.
Ukrainian authorities say they are cracking down on corruption and border collusion, but the scale of attempted escapes suggests enforcement alone cannot resolve the underlying pressure. Each successful crossing fuels the perception that leaving is possible — and that staying is optional.
Stigma at home, relief abroad
Within Ukraine, draft evasion is widely viewed as shameful. The country is fighting a defensive war against a larger, nuclear-armed neighbour, and those who leave can be seen as abandoning others to fight in their place. Some men caught trying to flee have reportedly been mobilised soon after.
Yet for those who succeed, the overwhelming emotion is relief. Many reunite with partners or children already living abroad. Others simply speak of sleeping without fear of sirens, summonses or checkpoints.
A deeper problem than borders
Ukraine’s manpower challenge is not just about numbers. It is about time, morale and belief in an endgame. Diplomatic efforts continue, but for men staring at indefinite mobilisation, talk of future negotiations offers little comfort in the present.
As the war stretches on, these individual decisions to run, to hide, to cross mountains in winter reveal a quieter truth. Wars are not sustained only by weapons and strategy. They are sustained by people willing to keep showing up. When that willingness erodes, even the strongest front lines begin to thin.
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