“Only girls remain in the classroom”: schoolboys are leaving Ukraine en masse

Male school students are leaving Ukraine en masse before they turn 18. In some classes, only girls remain.

This was reported by well-known Ukrainian blogger Alyona Yakhno on Facebook.

“I just met a good acquaintance. Her son is 17, soon to be 18. He is still in Kyiv, but all his classmates have already left. Only girls remain in the class. No moralizing, just a fact,” Yakhno wrote.

In the comments, people express surprise that the only remaining boy has not left and approve of parents who are taking their children out of Ukraine.

It is worth noting that Ukrainian males are no longer allowed to leave the country once they turn 18.

Back in December, Associate Professor of the Kyiv School of Economics, Olga Kupets, reported that 16- and 17-year-old schoolboys were leaving Ukraine en masse. According to her, residents of western Ukraine often see buses filled with 16- to 17-year-old boys heading toward Slovakia, and notably, they travel without parents. They are not leaving for educational purposes but to avoid mobilization.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, authorities are inviting young men aged 18–24 to enlist in the military under contract service, as they are not yet legally subject to mobilization. At first glance, the contract conditions seem attractive, but in practice, recruits are sent exclusively to infantry brigades and must participate in combat operations for at least six months.