Expecting more draft dodgers: Why Ukraine is tightening border security in Transcarpathia

Ukraine has strengthened border security in Transcarpathia. Additional border guards and equipment have been deployed to sections of the border with Hungary and Romania, through which draft dodgers most frequently attempt to flee.

“The number of draft dodgers continues to grow despite discussions about the imminent end of the war. However, official statistics do not reflect this – the numbers are significantly downplayed to avoid alarming the population. Draft dodgers are caught both in groups and individually, sometimes dozens, and even hundreds of people daily. If ceasefire negotiations fail, mobilization will likely intensify, leading to an even greater influx of illegal border crossers,” a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Transcarpathia told journalists.

According to a source close to the border service of the Western Regional Administration, increased border patrols will also lead to higher bribes for “unnoticed” crossings.

“If before, the price was $8,000–$12,000, it will now rise to $15,000–$20,000. The head of the border service department, formerly known as the outpost chief, makes the final decision. Typically, in the early morning, groups of 5–10 people are allowed to cross where there are no patrols, with a local inspector covering their tracks,” the source said.

Those who manage to cross the border usually make arrangements with the “right” guides who have connections with border guards. These are curators who organize everything and control the process at the border, explained another law enforcement source in Transcarpathia.

Guides are often residents of border villages, frequently related to or closely connected with border guards.

“They cross through mountains and rivers, while others transport groups—often ten or more people—by buses and trucks. Guides earn a few hundred dollars per group, depending on the number of people, while curators receive several thousand. ‘Insiders’ at the border, for a fee, inform about shifts in border patrols on both the Ukrainian and Hungarian sides, creating a window of opportunity (usually lasting 30 minutes to an hour). Groups that do not share their profits or outsiders attempting crossings are the ones who get caught.

Some guides lead draft dodgers through forests at night up to the border. Some even have thermal imaging devices to detect outsiders at night and hide in time. Others simply take the money and abandon the people, leaving them to either get caught by border guards, get lost, or die in the mountains and forests,” the source revealed.

The border service denies any involvement in the smuggling of draft dodgers.