'If You Live Here, Defend Your Country' - Draft-Dodgers Spark Anger on Streets of Kyiv | Kyiv Post - 10 Sept. 2023 |

A small number of men of fighting age have fled their homes in Ukraine to avoid conscription. Those still in the country have little sympathy for their plight.

As Ukraine continues to bolster its armed forces as it fights against Russia's full-scale invasion, not everyone eligible for conscription has stuck around to wait to be called up to fight.

A recent report from AFP spoke with several Ukrainian men who had left Ukraine to avoid fighting. Ivan, a 24-year-old who declined to give his last name due to legal concerns, spent $5,000 on a medical certificate that exempted him from service - and allowed him out of Ukraine.

He is not proud of his actions, saying "it all felt wrong and disturbing," but added that "everyone knows there are opportunities" for avoiding service.

"Everybody has friends or acquaintances who can offer options," he said.

Ivan's plight garners little sympathy and much condemnation for people Kyiv Post spoke to in the capital, especially from those already serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

• Ukraine's Draft Dodgers Face Guilt, Shame and Reproach | NY Times - 10 April 2022 |
• Zelensky government cracks down on conscription loopholes | WSWS |
• 'I was afraid of it': the Ukrainians dodging conscription and fleeing the country | EuroNews - 1 Sept. 2023 |