Since the start of the Russian invasion, men aged 18 to 60 can no longer leave Ukrainian territory. For fear of being conscripted by the army, some decide to flee.
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To leave while there is still time or to stay, this is the delicate subject for Ukrainian adolescents on the verge of their majority. Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, men aged 18 to 60 have been subject to general mobilization. Roman, barely 18, wears a hoodie and has cheeks still marked by adolescence. He was only 16 when the war broke out, during his final year of high school.
His family was thrown onto the roads fleeing the fighting: “I can’t even tell you, it was so scary!” A few months later, back in kyiv, life resumed. But Igor, Roman’s best friend, is no longer there. His parents, both soldiers, preferred to separate from their son to avoid war. They sent him to France to be educated there, before they could no longer leave: “I was 16, I left on my own because my parents wanted me to be somewhere safe.”
University enrollments have exploded
With martial law and general mobilization, men aged 18 to 60 no longer have the right to leave Ukraine, a dilemma as they approach this decisive age: “You can be taken away by force unless you are a student, a father of three or disabled.” The number of registrations at universities in Ukraine has exploded and certain private establishments have opened new paid courses. Igor, for his part, blames himself. He had no choice, torn by his parents’ decision. But his mind is on Ukraine, where his friend Roman is waiting for him.
