Overview
- Verkhovna Rada member Serhii Yevtushok said 80–90% of those who recently left in the youngest male cohort are unlikely to return, citing risks to the country’s working and educational potential.
- Ukraine’s migration policy chief Vasyl Voskoboynik has offered a similar assessment, estimating that roughly nine in ten of the recent leavers will not come back.
- Media citing Polish border data reported about 100,000 men departed after the policy shift, with many heading to Germany, which is receiving an estimated 1,400–1,800 Ukrainians each week.
- The Daily Telegraph characterized the youth outflow as a growing political dilemma for President Volodymyr Zelensky and, citing MP Fedor Venislavsky, reported claims of roughly 20,000 mobilized troops deserting or going missing monthly.
- Before the change, men aged 18–60 were barred from leaving under martial law, and officials say the broader post‑2022 exodus includes about 1.7 million young people, while the UN estimates 6.8 million residents have left overall.