Ukrainian men of draft age are increasingly trying to reach Belarus illegally to avoid mobilization. Border guards are strengthening the border with fortifications and engineering barriers. Such conclusions stem from an investigation that brought together data from Ukrainian and Belarusian experts on how the scheme for men fleeing to Belarus works.
According to the spokesperson of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko, the Belarus direction is significantly lower in terms of the rate of crossing the border compared with other countries – namely Romania and Moldova. Nevertheless, the upward trend has been recorded.
The Ukrainian–Belarusian border area is being strengthened with engineering barriers and fortification structures that bolster obstacles to illegal crossing.
According to official data from the State Border Guard Service, in 2025 1,424 men of mobilization age were detained for attempting to illegally cross Ukraine’s state border with Belarus. This is four times higher than the previous year (326 people) and more than thirty-five times higher compared with 2023, when only four people were detained.
Investigators calculated that among all of Ukraine’s neighboring states Belarus is the only country at whose border the increase in the number of detained conscripts was more noticeable than in other directions.
Currently, the Belarusian direction has entered the top five by the number of detained military conscripts, overtaking Poland. The top five also include Hungary (1,841 people), Slovakia (2,265), Moldova (4,937) and Romania (10,066). On the opposite end of the ranking is the border with Russia (1) and the penultimate place is Poland (511).
Journalists also spoke with a man who, in special Telegram groups, promises to help cross the border from Belarus and then into the EU. For two mobilization-age men, he asked for 16 thousand US dollars.
“Look, they’ll pick you up from Kyiv, they’ll pick you up from anywhere. There’s not a single problem in that. They’ll take you right from your home. You’ll pay only when you’re in the car. Exactly. From the Belarus side they’ll pick you up and take you to the first hotel, and the next day to the police, because there are exits on certain days when their shifts change.”
– a Slidstvo.Info journalist
According to Polish border guards, from February 24, 2022 to December 1, 2025, more than 80,000 Ukrainian men aged 18–60 arrived in Poland from Belarus. Exactly how many of them crossed the border into Belarus illegally is unknown.
What is known about crossing the border during martial law
In Ukraine, martial law has been in effect since February 24, 2022. During this period, leaving the country by men aged 18 to 60 who are subject to mobilization is restricted. However, exit permits are granted to certain categories: disabled people, parents with many children (all children under 18), guardians, accompanying persons with disabilities, foreign university students, and other groups. Decisions on entry permits are made on an individual basis at the checkpoint.
On August 26, 2025, the government updated the procedure for crossing the state border. Now men aged 18 to 22 can freely leave Ukraine during martial law. To cross, they must have a passport that allows travel abroad and a military registration document (including in electronic format), which are presented to border guards upon request.
Changes to the exit procedure emphasize different conditions for different categories of citizens and require compliance with all requirements and documents when crossing the border.