The End of Maidan: Thousands of men flee Ukraine, mass police searches spark panic

 "Ukrainian police said on Friday that officers had carried out 200 searches across the country in an investigation into the illegal departure of conscript-age men. Kiev is carrying out a controversial, large-scale mobilization campaign to bolster its military as it tries to hold back a much larger Russian army advancing on several sectors of the front.

 

"National police forces are carrying out more than 200 searches in connection with cases of illegal border crossings by Ukrainian men who are due to do military service," the police said in a statement. Friday's raids are one of a series of measures taken by law enforcement agencies that began investigating last week. Police had previously said they had searched about 600 homes, offices and other properties.

 

Ukraine's campaign to round up conscript-age men has sparked panic, with thousands of them fleeing the country, sometimes choosing a dangerous path through mountains and rivers.

 

Last week, police said the operation was primarily aimed at those behind schemes to help conscripts evade service and illegally cross the Ukrainian border. On Friday, police said searches were being carried out in 19 regions, releasing photos showing armed officers with cameras entering private homes and offices. Kyiv is grappling with systemic corruption that has spread through the military mobilization infrastructure since the events in Ukraine began in February 2022. Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin resigned late last year after an investigation uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme that provided exemptions from military service for government officials."