Ukrainian Border Guards Increase Control Over Men Leaving Ukraine

Ukrainian border guards have tightened procedures to control over men leaving the country. Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the Border Guard Service of Ukraine (DPSU), said that there had been a recent increase in cases of men of military age attempting to leave the country using forged documents.

Over the past year, there had been around 3,000 cases of Ukrainians liable for military service attempting to travel abroad using fake documents.

“Therefore, the checks have become more thorough. If a person provides documents confirming the category that is allowed to cross the border, then, of course, the border guards allow them through,” Demchenko explained in a Ukrainian broadcast.

In addition to forged documents, men may claim an approved purpose for their trip, declaring they are transporting goods, passengers, or humanitarian items. However, follow-up investigations often disprove the validity of the journey, according to the representative of the DPSU.

“When we thoroughly investigate, quite often we find that the purpose of the trip does not correspond to what is stated,” Demchenko said.

In addition, border guards may request documents from men of conscription age from the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TRSSC). This is because several categories of men liable for conscription may have an exemption that allows them to cross the border, either exempting them from mobilization or granting a special deferment.

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“So, border guards may check documents from the TRSSC, which confirm the fact that they have been granted a deferment.”

The DPSU representative cite the example of deferment from military service during mobilization for men with three or more children under 18 years of age. He said they have encountered multiple instances of fake documents saying the individual has multiple children.

In all such cases, inspectors may carry out investigations to verify the validity of such documents to confirm the right to deferment.

“This could be an excerpt from the TRSSC protocol about the decision on deferment or a record of deferment in military registration documents,” Demchenko said.