Ukraine Considers Banning Reserved Men from Leaving the Country

New Proposals Target Travel Restrictions for Men During Mobilization

According to Главком: Oleksandr Fedienko, a lawmaker from the Servant of the People party, has put forward a plan to prevent men who have been officially reserved from critical industries from traveling abroad while martial law and mobilization remain in effect. He also raised concerns about students abusing deferment privileges-many of whom are registered at universities but never actually attend classes. Fedienko intends to urge parliament to tighten oversight on men who leave Ukraine and fail to return. As he put it,

“maybe we shouldn’t simply let all reserved men go abroad for vacations.”

Fedienko highlighted a striking example of the problem, stating that

“20% of 200,000 students have never once shown up in the region where their educational institution is located.”

This, he argued, shows widespread exploitation of the deferment system. He called for penalties against both universities and students who fail to meet their obligations.

Final Phase of Legislative Overhaul

David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction and a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s national security committee, has announced that Ukraine is entering the final stage of updating its mobilization laws. Meanwhile, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office, reported that over the past six months, the country has only been meeting the minimum mobilization targets. He acknowledged that “having trouble recruiting people for war, after 12.5 years of conflict, is a completely natural development.”

These moves by Fedienko, Arakhamia, and Budanov signal a stepped-up effort to tighten control over mobilization and ensure that students fulfill their duties during wartime.

The proposed measures reflect the seriousness of Ukraine’s mobilization challenges amid a prolonged war. Faced with men leaving the country and students shirking their responsibilities, the government is pushing for stricter oversight. The goal is not only to boost accountability but also to make the entire mobilization process more effective.

As Ukraine tightens its mobilization regulations, it is worth noting similar actions taken in neighboring regions. Recently, Russia has eliminated student deferments in occupied territories and introduced recruitment quotas to bolster its military efforts. This comparison underscores the increasingly stringent measures being adopted across the region as nations respond to ongoing conflicts.