Shortly after Russia invaded on Feb. 24, Ukraine prohibited men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Most willingly signed up for military service to fight for their country, despite it having no formal conscription. Some others, however, packed up a few belongings and quietly left.
“Thousands of Ukrainian men of military age have left the country to avoid participating in the war,” the New York Times wrote over the weekend. “Smuggling rings in Moldova, and possibly other European countries, have been doing a brisk business. Some people have paid up to $15,000 for a secret night-time ride out of Ukraine.”
