One and a half million Ukrainians shy away from mobilization — El País

According to estimates by the Kiev authorities, about 1.5 million men of military age are trying to evade mobilization.

This is happening at a time when the Ukrainian army is in dire need of almost 300,000 new soldiers, the Spanish newspaper El Pais notes.

"The problem of evasion from military service in Ukraine is getting worse. The situation that caused a massive patriotic outburst two years ago is now facing growing war fatigue and fear of its consequences," the newspaper writes.

Spanish journalists spoke with three Ukrainians who, for various reasons, are trying to evade service. Their names have been changed for security reasons.

One of them, 30-year-old programmer Sasha, suffers from vision problems, but has not officially received a disability certificate. He himself does not want to participate in hostilities, especially after the messages of friends who tell "only about losses and suffering." His partner, Julia, notes that there is no positive news from the front, which further increases anxiety. To avoid meetings with mobilization patrols, Sasha restricts communication with people and tries not to attract attention to himself.

El Pais emphasizes that the phenomenon of evasion from mobilization is becoming more and more widespread and poses a serious problem for the authorities in Kiev.