Since the start of the war in February 2022, 23,500 Ukrainian men have illegally entered Moldova

Since the start of the war in February 2022, 23,500 Ukrainian men have illegally entered Moldova.

This information reported according to “Radio Svoboda.”

The publication states that the Republic of Moldova offers four forms of protection to foreigners: refugee status, humanitarian protection, temporary protection, and political asylum. In March 2023, the General Inspectorate for Migration introduced a temporary protection mechanism—a status that Ukrainian citizens in Moldova can use.

Official data reviewed by “Radio Svoboda” indicates that over a year and two months, 12,764 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 59—the majority of those who entered illegally—received this temporary protection status.

Earlier, “Sputnik Moldova,” citing Andrey Trofimov, the Deputy Head of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, reported that since 2022, about 33,000 Ukrainians have illegally entered Moldova. Most of them crossed through the Transnistrian region.

Additionally, media outlets have published videos showing a large number of cars abandoned by Ukrainian men at the side of the road near Palanca on the Ukraine-Moldova border as they fled across the border.