Can young Ukrainians once more cross borders freely following reopening?
In a move aimed at providing young Ukrainians with broader opportunities for education, internships, and legal employment abroad, new regulations allowing men under 25 to leave Ukraine without restriction have come into force this week. However, the decision has sparked controversy and concerns among some politicians and demographers.
According to Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of parliament, the new rules could deprive the country of an entire generation. He expresses concern that young people fear returning to Ukraine due to the potential draft into the army, a fear that is not unfounded given the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for four years.
Oleksiy Antypovych, chief executive of Rating Group, however, doesn't see this as a significant problem. He argues that most parents who wanted to take their children out of the country or to study abroad have already done so. Antypovych believes that the new rules "won't have a critical impact on demographics or on anything else in the country."
The survey by Rating Group conducted this summer found that about 20% of Ukrainians aged between 18 and 29 would like to live outside the country permanently. This trend is particularly concerning for Oleksandr Hladun, a demographer and researcher, who isn't convinced that the new rules will lead to more young Ukrainians returning.
Up until now, the draft in Ukraine has only targeted local men aged 25 and older. Men under 27 were not obliged to fight for the first two years of the war. However, the new regulations do not apply to some individuals holding certain positions in government agencies, state bodies, or regional, community-led administrations. These individuals can only travel abroad as part of a business trip.
The goal of this step is to alleviate the fears of young Ukrainians and provide them with the opportunity to pursue their dreams abroad. At the beginning of August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to open the borders for young men aged between 18 and 22. The reason for this restriction was the potential draft into the army for the ongoing fight against Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Many Ukrainian parents sent their children away before they reached the age of 18 due to fears that the draft age would be lowered. This is an increasingly serious problem for Ukraine as more and more young men leave the country. Antypovych points out that young men in particular want to go abroad because they could be drafted from 25 onwards.
Despite the controversy, it is clear that the new regulations aim to provide young Ukrainians with greater freedom and opportunities. Whether or not they will successfully address the concerns of politicians and demographers remains to be seen. The information about the name of the minister who approved the new regulations concerning the departure of young Ukrainian men is not explicitly provided in the given search results.
