Thursday26 December 2024
glasno.com.ua

Ukrainian teens are considering living abroad due to fears of a lower draft age.

Ukrainian teenagers are increasingly planning to leave the country due to concerns that the draft age may be lowered to 18. This was reported by the Western publication The Times, whose journalists spoke with teenagers from Kharkiv. According to media reports, students are preparing to leave Ukraine not only because of the ongoing bombings by Russians but also due to fears that they could be sent to the front lines.
Украинские подростки намерены уехать за границу из-за опасений по поводу снижения возраста мобилизации.

Ukrainian teenagers are increasingly planning to leave the country due to concerns about the potential reduction of the conscription age to 18. This was reported by the Western publication The Times, whose journalists spoke with teenagers from Kharkiv. According to the media, students are preparing to leave Ukraine not only because of the constant bombings by Russians but also due to fears that they may be sent to the front lines.

The Times journalists spoke with 17-year-old Dmytro, who sees studying in Europe as a "protection" from being sent to the front. Many of his acquaintances are also choosing to study abroad. According to the teenager, it is safer there and there is no risk of being conscripted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine at a foreign university.

"I plan to study in Poland. Once I finish, I will decide whether to return to Ukraine or stay there. It will be safer there; bombs are not falling, and there is no risk of being mobilized into the war without my consent," the publication quotes the teenager.

His friend, also named Dmytro, agrees with his perspective and adds that he will also go abroad for studies. He believes that studying in Ukraine is challenging "when there are explosions outside and electricity is constantly being cut off."

According to the EU, over 190,000 boys aged 14 to 17 have been registered as refugees in European countries since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The publication quoted the words of Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova, who advocates for the supply of weapons to Ukraine from the U.S. She has often faced questions in Washington about why Kyiv does not lower the conscription age and does not send younger men to the front.

"There would be huge resistance within Ukraine, and we would not achieve the results at the front that we aspire to because it is not such a large number of people. Furthermore, it would send a clear signal to families to evacuate their children. So, if we want to lose the future generation, then yes, that is what we should do," she said.

Statements on lowering the conscription age

Ukrainian presidential advisor Dmytro Lytvyn recently stated that there are no preparations underway in Ukraine to lower the conscription age from 25 to 18. He commented on a post about the appropriateness of sending boys aged 15-17 abroad. Similar calls had been made by American officials just before.

At the beginning of December, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated during a speech in Brussels that Ukraine must make difficult decisions regarding the further mobilization of citizens to repel the Russian assault. Thus, he likely hinted at the necessity to begin mobilizing citizens under the age of 25.

At the same time, a number of American politicians have urged Ukraine to strengthen mobilization efforts and lower the conscription age to 18. In particular, Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that Kyiv urgently needs to mobilize additional forces, as the current issues on the front are more related to human resources than to weaponry.