Ukraine announced on Thursday the arrest in Moldova of traffickers who helped recalled Ukrainians flee their country, amid a debate over the need to strengthen the army’s ranks to fight the Russian army.
Ukrainian police said on Telegram that it was a joint operation with Moldovan law enforcement. The two Moldovan traffickers were arrested while transporting four military draft resisters to Ukraine. “The criminals were bringing men of military age from the (Ukrainian) Odessa region to the border with Transnistria,” a pro-Russian separatist territory in Moldova, according to the same source. “From there they led them along forest paths avoiding checkpoints (…) and took their clients to the capital of Moldova” Chisinau, continues the Ukrainian police, who say that the traffickers paid a fee for their services between $4,500 and $5,000 and found their customers through Telegram messaging channels.
“Defectors”
Since the Russian invasion began nearly two years ago, Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 have not been allowed to leave the country unless they have special permission. Deserters face sentences of up to twelve years in prison, while those who resist service risk five years in prison.
After two years of deadly fighting and notably the failure of a major counteroffensive against the Russian army during the summer of 2023, Ukrainian forces must replenish their ranks. At the same time, voices are being raised in society calling for a rotation of deployed troops, demobilizing those who have been at the front for a long time and enlisting new soldiers, whether volunteers or conscripts. Some are also calling for measures to encourage Ukrainians abroad to return to fight for their country.
A text to regulate these issues is currently in the hands of Ukrainian parliamentarians.
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2024-01-04 11:29:50
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