Fighting-age Ukrainian arrested readying paraglider to flee

Males between 19 and 60 years old are banned from leaving the country due to an ongoing conscription campaign

A Ukrainian man of fighting age has been apprehended before attempting to flee to Moldova using a paraglider, Ukraine's Border Guard Service has reported. Kiev is faced with a surge in draft evasion amid the country’s ongoing and controversial conscription campaign.

The man was apprehended near the city of Mogiliov-Podilsky in Vinnitsa Region, according to a statement on Friday. He was identified as a 48-year-old resident of the western Khmelnitsky Region.

The authorities said he purchased a light glider for €500 ($582) and was preparing to launch from a nearby field when border agents intervened.

Officials suggested that the flight could have ended in disaster. According to the statement, the man lacked navigation tools and the skills needed to land safely, even if he had managed to cross into Moldova.

Ukraine has barred men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. Amid mounting human and territorial losses the government intensified mandatory conscription efforts. Numerous videos circulating online show officers using force to press gang desperate individuals who often resist and receive support from witnesses.

In another case highlighted by the Border Guard Service in late July, agents intercepted a man disguised in women’s clothing who was allegedly seeking to flee the country.