At nine in the morning, the Shekhiny checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Polish border is full of buses and cars. Mostly women, children and the elderly are passing through - but also many men.
At the end of August, the Ukrainian government allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country, which has been under martial law since Russia's invasion in February 2022. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that this step should contribute to keeping young people in Ukraine. The new provision should not affect the country's defense capabilities.
However, it has sparked debate in Ukraine - some evaluate it positively, others find it unfair to active soldiers and others subject to mobilization. And observers interviewed by DW doubt that the young men leaving Ukraine will ever return.
Why do young people want to go abroad?
The ten young men DW met at the Ukrainian-Polish border gave different reasons for their departure. Mykola, 22, a bus driver, says he wants to go to his brother-in-law in Poland. "At most for a week or two", he assures, adding that after that he would return home again, where his girlfriend is waiting for him.
Ilya, 22, also wants to visit relatives, he is heading to Warsaw. "We should use the chance to see our relatives for a few days", he notes.
But meetings with relatives are not the only reason for young people to leave. A group of Ukrainian friends are traveling in one of the buses - Ukrainian men and women - who want to go to a match in Wroclaw. Some are going abroad for the first time. They say they bought their tickets just a few days before the match and decided to travel for five days. After that, they would return to continue their studies in Ukraine.
21-year-old Ivan and his mother Gloria are crossing the border on foot. They have no luggage, they are only carrying shopping bags and want to go to a nearby Polish supermarket. "I will help my mother carry the bags - they will probably be heavy", says Ivan. The two want to return to Ukraine the same day.
Ivan is not planning any longer trips abroad for now. He is a professional dancer and has already visited many countries around the world. For now, the most important thing for him is to continue his studies. "Next year I will start my master's degree at the Polytechnic Institute. I am happy with everything in Ukraine. "War is of course a bad thing, but my family and friends are here," the young man says.
Will they return to Ukraine?
However, not all young men between the ages of 18 and 22 are thinking about returning to Ukraine. Andriy is 21, he worked in the energy sector and now wants to go abroad to earn money. He left for the Netherlands, where he has relatives and acquaintances. He says he will return to Ukraine for the New Year holidays, and then leave again.
There are no restrictions for men between the ages of 18 and 22 to stay abroad if they decide - they are not threatened with criminal prosecution. Leaving is possible until the day before their 23rd birthday, and from the age of 25 onwards they are subject to mobilization. If someone does not return to Ukraine after their 25th birthday and does not contact the military, they will face court, the new rules say.
Roman, a minibus driver, transports people to the Czech Republic and Germany. He says that since young men can travel abroad, the number of travelers has increased. "There were a lot of inquiries this week," Roman says. Every week he gets between five and ten men calling. On that day, there was only one young man in the minibus, 22-year-old Mykola, but another of the same age has applied for a trip the following week.
Will the two of them return to Ukraine again a week later? Mykola assures that he will come home at any cost. "Home is home. I don't see myself abroad and I wouldn't want to live there."
Whoever wanted to - has already left
Border officers from the region told DW that they have not noticed a noticeable increase in the number of young men leaving. If there is an increase in travelers, it is due to the summer and tourist season, explains Svitlana Burda from the border authorities. She adds: "At the checkpoints in the Lviv region, the flow of people crossing has increased by 40 percent compared to the season before the summer". However, border officers expect that by the end of September, the number of trips will decrease.
21-year-old Andriy, who works abroad, positively assesses the new regulations. "People will be safer, they will travel, they will earn and they will be able to go on vacation." And minibus driver Roman is convinced: "If you have the opportunity to return and then go abroad again, it will bind young people to Ukraine". Without this opportunity, young people would probably stay abroad, he suggests.
Gloria, Ivan's mother, believes that those who wanted to leave have done so long ago. According to her, some young people will still leave Ukraine, while others will realize their plans for the future in their homeland. "Nobody changes their life overnight. Just to get out of Ukraine? The way is open - you can go on vacation or to see the world", says the woman, according to whom everything will move within normal limits.
Author: Irina Ukina