Ukrainians flee to Romania from enlistment in the army. Even TIR drivers are mobilized, taken directly from the truck upon entering the country. Lithuania is considering sending them

In an operation carried out by Ukrainian border guards near the Fălcău border crossing point, seven men and the driver transporting them were captured while trying to cross illegally into Romania. The group of fugitives was led by a local from the Chernivtsi region. The cost of the clandestine trip varied between 6 and 9 thousand euros per person, writes BucPress.

“During the detention, the men tried to run away but were stopped by the border guards. It was determined that the seven men, originally from the regions of Kyiv, Zhitomir, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, agreed with a local to transport them clandestinely to Romania, thus avoiding the border crossing points. The organizer of the illegal trip demanded between 6 and 9 thousand euros from each,” the State Border Service of Ukraine said.

The organizer of the illegal border crossing was arrested. He will be tried according to the provisions of Article 332 of the Criminal Code, risking a sentence of up to nine years in prison. As for the men trying to flee across the border, administrative files were drawn up on their names

Also, information began to appear on social networks about truck drivers returning from abroad and being taken to the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Assistance. There are also reports of drivers being detained.

The Association of International Road Transporters (AsMAP) reported cases where truck drivers were detained by the departments of the said Center on their way to and from their subsequent mobilization at the Nyzhni Vorota road station in the Transcarpathian region and calls on the Prime Minister to address this issue .

“On 24.04.2024, at the Nyzhni Vorota traffic police station in the Transcarpathian region, the employees of the Recruitment Center illegally detained the drivers of several trucks engaged in the transit of goods from Europe to Ukraine, forcibly took them to the headquarters of the relevant department , where they were quickly mobilized and sent to military units for military service,” the association said in a statement.

In addition, AsMAP stated that the driver’s belongings, truck and cargo were left unattended.

The Transcarpathian Regional Center reported that during document inspection at checkpoints, it is not always possible to check all military registration data on the spot, due to the fact that citizens did not take care to have their registration documents with them in advance military.

“In such cases, people subject to military service are suggested to go to the territorial recruitment and social assistance centers to clarify their data.

At the same time, we emphasize: the truck remains under the surveillance of law enforcement agents. If a citizen considers that he is not subject to mobilization, he must have the relevant military registration documents with stamps confirming his legal right to postponement, according to Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine “On Preparation for Mobilization and Mobilization”, or a delisting stamp from the registration list. Or a document regarding a duly executed reservation,” the statement said.

The Recruitment and Social Assistance Center also emphasized that the “Sleah” system has nothing to do with military registration and only allows drivers to cross the border.

According to the cited source, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonite said Lithuania should help Ukraine and repatriate men of military age living abroad.

However, the idea of ​​repatriating these men requires consultations at the level of the European Union, informs LRT quoted by the Ukrainian publication Flot2017.

“Ukraine should have a mobilization plan. At the same time, Ukraine should have the means and tools to invite its young men to serve their country. We need to collaborate with Ukraine on this,” the president said. And the prime minister emphasizes that Lithuania could take measures to help Ukraine, but some actions are to be discussed at the level of the European Union.

“We could probably look for some ways to ensure that a person has fulfilled their mobilization obligation or been released from it when we discuss the extension of the temporary residence permit. But we need to cooperate not only with the Ukrainian authorities, because at at the current stage Ukrainians have been granted temporary protection within the EU,” said Ingrida Simonite.

According to the Migration Department, there are currently no legal grounds to oblige Lithuania to assist Ukraine in the process of mobilizing men.