Oct. 31 — The number of Ukrainian men aged 18-22 years who crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border in the last two months scored almost 100,000, said Politico, citing the data from the Polish border guard.

At the end of August, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allowed men aged 18-22 to travel abroad which was prohibited since Feb. 2022 due to Russia’s all-out war and subsequent mobilization. 

The Polish border guard said that from the beginning of 2025 until the end of August, nearly 45,300 men of this age group crossed the border. After the new law came into effect, this number increased to 98,500, or 1,600 per day.

Andrii Demchenko, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian border guard, told Hromadske that they don’t keep records based on age.

“Since men aged 18-22 can cross the border, they cross it both for leaving and entering the country. They do not have a significant impact on passenger traffic,” said Demchenko.

Politico noted that many of the new arrivals continue to move westward. German media, citing figures from the German Interior Ministry, said that the number of young Ukrainians entering the country has risen from 19 per week in mid-August to 1,400-1,800 per week in October.

At the beginning of October, Mariia Abdullina, the head of OLX.Work platform, said that 41% of employers felt the impact of the law allowing men aged 18-22 to leave Ukraine.

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