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Over 11,000 Ukrainian men aged 18-22 entered Slovakia in one month

The highest number was recorded on September 21-22

MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Over 11,000 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 crossed the Slovak border within a single month, according to Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing data from the Slovak Border Police. The highest number was recorded on September 21-22, when approximately 500 Ukrainian citizens crossed each day.

This surge followed the Ukrainian government’s enactment of a decree on August 28, which permitted men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country during martial law. Typically, Ukrainian men are subject to mobilization starting at age 25; however, martial law initially restricted all men over 18 from traveling abroad. This change prompted widespread social media reports of long queues at border crossings, with many young men rushing to take advantage of the exemption.

Between August 28 and September 28, over 56,000 Ukrainians in this age group crossed into Poland. Additionally, since the end of August, the number of Ukrainian asylum seekers in Germany has increased tenfold. According to the German Ministry of the Interior, 7,961 Ukrainians were processed through the country’s special registration system in May 2023, with numbers rising to 11,277 in August and reaching 18,755 in September.