‘The River of Death’: The New York Times told the story of how thousands of men are fleeing from Ukraine across the Tisza River and drowning in it

Thousands of Ukrainian men are illegally crossing the border to flee from the war. They prefer to “take the risk and swim” and even drown while crossing rivers in western Ukraine than to fight.

This is reported by the American newspaper The New York Times.

“Given the high level of casualties, conscription into the army is like getting a one-way ticket to the front,” the newspaper writes, citing Ukrainian soldiers.

Romanian authorities claim that after the Russian invasion, over 6,000 men swam to their side of the Tisza River.

“But not everyone succeeds. The bodies of 22 men were washed up on both banks,” Lesya Fedorova, the press secretary of the Mukachevo border guard unit, told journalists.

However, it is likely that even more have drowned, earning the Tisza the nickname “river of death.”

The evasion of conscripts has changed the nature of smuggling in the Carpathian Mountains. Previously, smugglers mainly dealt with transporting counterfeit cigarettes westward, but now they have almost completely switched to smuggling men into Romania. According to Fedorova, last year the Mukachevo border guard unit disbanded 56 such smuggling groups.

The prices for assistance in crossing the border have risen from two thousand to 10,000 dollars per person since the invasion began. Smugglers now hire Romani guides who lead men across the border.

To counter this, border guards have installed additional infrared cameras and motion sensors along the border, Lieutenant Fedorova said. There are also checkpoints on the roads leading to the border.