In Ukraine, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country. To circumvent this ban, many Ukrainians of military age attempt to flee through Russia.
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“I am looking to leave Ukrainian territory to join Melitopol, which is controlled by the Russian Federation.” His bag on his back, Sergei traveled the 500 kilometers that separate his city from Odessa to Zaporijia, at the gates of the occupied Ukrainian territories. This is the beginning of a very long journey. “And from Melitopol, I intend to go to Crimea before continuing towards Latvia and then Lithuaniahe confides. My goal is to reunite with my family in Europe.”
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At 38, this baker is one of those men of fighting age. On February 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decreed general military mobilization to counter the Russian invasion of the country, according to a decree. The measure concerns those subject “to military conscription and reservists”. In addition, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine under martial law.
“If I stay here, I’ll probably die. It’s easier to find reasons to kill an enemy than to die for his ideas.”
Sergei, Ukrainianat franceinfo
But to find his wife and two children, Sergei will have to cross territories controlled by Russian soldiers. “A real leap into the unknownhe acknowledges. The Russians practice a policy of intimidation. I have to stay alive. That’s what my kids want me to do.”
Sergei’s story illustrates the concern of the Ukrainian authorities about the morale of men of fighting age, while the toll of human lives lost in this war is extremely heavy.
War in Ukraine: testimony of a Ukrainian who tries to flee to Europe at the microphone of Omar Ouahmane and Gilles Gallinaro
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