TENS OF THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIANS HIDING FROM DRAFT OFFICERS — NYT

Ukrainian men expressed fear of dying in the "bloody trench warfare", the
newspaper reported

© AP Photo/ Marienko Andrew

NEW YORK, June 22. /TASS/.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian men have gone into hiding as they avoid
conscription for fear of dying in the conflict involving "bloody trench
warfare," The New York Times reported on Friday.

While it is not clear how many men are hiding from authorities, in big cities
like Kiev and Lvov, social media groups alerting members to mobilization
include tens of thousands of people, the newspaper wrote.  Ukrainian men
expressed fear of dying in the conflict, the NYT continued. According to the
newspaper, Kiev has been sending troops without "sufficient training" to the
front to replace combat losses. Military analysts agree that a lack of adequate
training makes it difficult for Kiev to hold its lines, the newspaper
concluded.

Ukraine announced a general mobilization in February 2022, which it has
extended periodically ever since, with the country’s authorities doing their
utmost to prevent men of conscription age from dodging the draft, including a
ban on male residents of Ukraine from leaving the country. On May 18, a law
tightening mobilization rules came into force in Ukraine, allowing hundreds of
thousands more Ukrainians to be called up into the army.