https://sputnikglobe.com/20240422/ukrainian-men-paying-human-smugglers-3-10k-to-dodge-natos-proxy-war-1118057587.html
Ukrainian Men Paying Human Smugglers $3-10K to Dodge NATO’s Proxy War
Ukrainian Men Paying Human Smugglers $3-10K to Dodge NATO’s Proxy War
Sputnik International
Authorities in Kiev and Washington have signaled their readiness to continue the NATO proxy war against Russia ‘to the last Ukrainian’, with Ukraine’s parliament passing a new mobilization law last week, and the House of Representatives approving $61 billion in assistance Saturday. The measures threaten to drive Ukraine into demographic collapse.
2024-04-22T13:07+0000
2024-04-22T13:07+0000
2024-04-22T13:46+0000
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Growing numbers of Ukrainian men of fighting age are doing whatever they can to avoid being drafted to fight in what more and more ordinary Ukrainians are starting to see as a deadly “political game” being played in the interests of political and military lobbyists in the US and other foreign actors.State Border Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko announced Monday that human smugglers are earning between $3,000 and $10,000 a head to smuggle men out of Ukraine. The payments are made as border guards enforce restrictions put in place in February 2022 to prevent men aged 18-60 from leaving the country.The spokesman said cases have been recorded of organizers using minors as guides for the human smuggling operation, with the minors shielded from criminal liability if they get caught.Payments to human smugglers are just one of the ways fighting age Ukrainians are looking to escape the conflict. Some attempt to bribe border service inspectors or use fake documents allowing them to leave the country (there are roughly 10 such cases recorded daily, according to Demchenko).Others attempt to escape across the border with Moldova and Romania independently, occasionally risking their lives in the process.Other men unfortunate enough to get drafted have sought to escape the conflict by surrendering to Russian forces. Last week, Russia’s Defense Ministry published footage of nine servicemen from Ukraine’s elite 25th Separate Airborne Brigade collectively surrendering to Russian troops in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The demoralized troops accused their commanders of using them as cannon fodder, and reported being shelled by their own comrades as they made the journey to the Russian side.Wealthier Ukrainians and government employees enjoy legal avenues to avoid fighting. The scandalous draft law which passed last week to tighten up mobilization measures to call up as many as 500,000 new troops featured proposed carve-outs for civil servants, and allowed others to pay a levy, equivalent to about US $520 per month (in a country where the average wage is about $400 per month) to avoid being drafted.The US House of Representatives signaled its readiness to resume funding the Ukraine crisis on Saturday after a six-month delay, approving nearly $61 billion in new military and financial assistance to Kiev. The measure, criticized by a small group of hardline Republicans opposed to additional aid, is expected to be voted on by the Senate as early as Tuesday, with some Washington insiders expecting US arms deliveries to resume before the end of the week.Moscow blasted the House’s decision to agree to pump additional arms into the crisis, with the Foreign Ministry accusing “the ruling elites in the US, regardless of party affiliation,” of being “ready to arm the regime in Kiev so that it will be able to fight to the last Ukrainian” even as Washington recognizes that it cannot count on a “mythical Ukrainian victory.”
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240421/ukraine-frontline-of-wests-much-larger-conflict-with-adversaries-like-russia-china-1118042685.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240413/watch-ukrainian-troops-surrender-en-masse-after-accusing-command-of-treating-them-like-livestock-1117917882.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240421/nato-chief-claims-us-aid-to-ukraine-not-too-late-but-delay-had-consequences-1118046689.html
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how are ukrainian men dodging zelensky's draft, are ukrainians eager to fight russia, do ukrainians want to continue fighting russia
how are ukrainian men dodging zelensky's draft, are ukrainians eager to fight russia, do ukrainians want to continue fighting russia
Ukrainian Men Paying Human Smugglers $3-10K to Dodge NATO’s Proxy War
13:07 GMT 22.04.2024 (Updated: 13:46 GMT 22.04.2024) Authorities in Kiev and Washington have signaled their readiness to continue the NATO proxy war against Russia “to the last Ukrainian,” with Ukraine’s parliament passing a new mobilization law last week, and the House of Representatives approving $61 billion in assistance Saturday. The measures threaten to drive Ukraine into demographic collapse.
Growing numbers of Ukrainian men of fighting age are doing whatever they can to avoid being drafted to fight in what more and more ordinary Ukrainians are starting to see as a deadly “political game” being
played in the interests of political and military lobbyists in the US and other foreign actors.
State Border Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko announced Monday that human smugglers are earning between $3,000 and $10,000 a head to smuggle men out of Ukraine. The payments are made as border guards enforce restrictions put in place in February 2022 to prevent men aged 18-60 from leaving the country.
“When violators are detained, they are processed to identify the organizers of efforts to smuggle them across the border, and to find out other details, including how much they paid to the organizers of this illegal travel. As a rule, prices range from $3,000 to $10,000,” Demchenko said in an interview with Ukrainian TV.
The spokesman said cases have been recorded of organizers using minors as guides for the human smuggling operation, with the minors shielded from criminal liability if they get caught.
Payments to human smugglers are just one of the ways fighting age Ukrainians are looking to escape the conflict. Some attempt to bribe border service inspectors or use fake documents allowing them to leave the country (there are roughly 10 such cases recorded daily, according to Demchenko).
Others attempt to escape across the border with Moldova and Romania independently, occasionally risking their lives in the process.
Romanian media reported Monday that rescue workers had found two Ukrainian nationals who had gotten lost in the mountains after illegally crossing the border, with the operation requiring the use of a helicopter. The two men, aged 30 and 31, confirmed to rescuers that they made the trek to “avoid ending up at the front.”
Other men unfortunate enough to get drafted have sought to escape the conflict by surrendering to Russian forces. Last week, Russia’s Defense Ministry published
footage of nine servicemen from Ukraine’s elite 25th Separate Airborne Brigade collectively surrendering to Russian troops in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The demoralized troops accused their commanders of using them as cannon fodder, and reported being shelled by their own comrades as they made the journey to the Russian side.
Wealthier Ukrainians and government employees enjoy legal avenues to avoid fighting. The scandalous draft law which passed last week to tighten up mobilization measures to call up as many as 500,000 new troops featured proposed
carve-outs for civil servants, and allowed others to pay a levy, equivalent to about
US $520 per month (in a country where the average wage is about $400 per month) to avoid being drafted.
The US House of Representatives signaled its readiness to resume funding the Ukraine crisis on Saturday after a six-month delay, approving nearly $61 billion in new military and financial assistance to Kiev. The measure, criticized by a
small group of hardline Republicans opposed to additional aid, is expected to be voted on by the Senate as early as Tuesday, with some Washington insiders expecting US arms deliveries to resume before the end of the week.
Moscow
blasted the House’s decision to agree to pump additional arms into the crisis, with the Foreign Ministry accusing “the ruling elites in the US, regardless of party affiliation,” of being “ready to arm the regime in Kiev so that it will be able to fight to the last Ukrainian” even as Washington recognizes that it cannot count on a “mythical Ukrainian victory.”
