“The DPSU keeps general statistics of border crossings, but does not separate them by age or gender, the border service says”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“I cannot and do not undertake to assert where such data come from. The State Border Service did not make such an analysis and did not provide such figures for publicity. Actually, they (figures – ed.) do not correspond to reality, because they are not objective. Even if we actually compare the entire year of 2025, there is no such number in terms of preference for departure from Ukraine in general, even crossing the border of all categories – women, men,” said Demchenko.
He noted that the DPSU keeps general statistics on border crossings, but does not separate them by age or gender.
According to him, even the data of neighboring states, such as Poland, show much lower figures regarding the departure of young Ukrainians.
Demchenko noted that movement across the border is two-way – citizens leave and return, while there is a tendency to increase.
“For example, 2025 is an increase compared to 2024 by 5%. But there is no significant advantage for departure, as was the case in 2022. In 2025, a total of about 37 million people crossed the border – both for entry and exit. The dynamics are approximately 50% on 50%, there is no significant advantage for the exit,” said the spokesperson of the State Security Service of Ukraine.
The day before, People’s Deputy Serhii Nagornyak said on Ranok.LIVE that about half a million young people allegedly left Ukraine in six months.
Read also: In winter, the number of attempts by men to cross the border decreased – DPSU
With the beginning of the large-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the introduction of martial law and general mobilization in the country, restrictions on the right to travel abroad were established for conscripts and conscripts aged 18 to 60.
In August, the government updated the procedure for crossing the state border. Prime Minister Yulia Svyridenko said that men aged 18 to 22 will be able to cross the state border without hindrance during martial law.
Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko added that the purpose of this decision is primarily to provide young Ukrainians with wider opportunities for education, internships, and legal employment abroad, so that they can later use the acquired experience for the development of Ukraine.