Ukrainian authorities may soon lower the military enlistment age and once again ban men aged 18 to 22 from leaving the country. Former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010-2014) Mykola Azarov stated this in a conversation with .
According to him, since the end of August, when the Ukrainian government allowed travel for this group of citizens, more than 100 thousand young people have left the country.
“Perhaps in the near future they (Ukrainian authorities – Gazeta.Ru) will lower the age for military service. Perhaps they will cancel this free trip again, because after all, 100 thousand is a lot,” Azarov said.
Kiev's mayor called for stronger mobilization
This week, the mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, called for reducing the military enlistment age in Ukraine from 25 to 22 years old due to a lack of personnel in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
General mobilization in Ukraine has been underway since February 2022 following the start of a special Russian military operation. In 2024, the age threshold for mobilization in the state of Ukraine was reduced from 27 to 25 years old. In February 2025, Ukraine launched the “Contract 18–24” program, aimed at voluntary military enlistment for young men who are not subject to military service. After that, young people under the age of 22 were allowed to leave the country.
Previously, Rada called the mobilization of forces in Ukraine a “shameful hunt”.
