Ukraine to Allow Men Aged 18 to 22 to Leave the Country

Ukrainian men aged 18-22 will now be allowed to leave Ukraine, after three and a half years of a law prohibiting them from doing so.

The Details: Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the change on Telegram on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the change as well, saying the military had agreed to it and it will take effect soon. Martial law will remain in place in Ukraine, however.

Key Quotes: Svyrydenko wrote on X, “This decision also applies to citizens who, for various reasons, find themselves abroad. We want Ukrainians to maintain their ties with Ukraine as much as possible. The changes will take effect the day after the official publication of the resolution.” A Ukrainian lawmaker told Financial Times (Center), “Graduating classes were made up almost entirely of girls... This kind of decision will help keep these young people in Ukraine, so that they contribute to their own country rather than to others.”

For Context: Ukraine’s current laws allow men from ages 25 to 60 to be drafted for military service, though men from 18 to 60 have not been allowed to leave the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. As a result, many families have sent their sons under 18 abroad in recent years. In November 2024, the Biden administration reportedly urged Ukraine to lower its conscription age to 18, though the idea has been deeply unpopular in Ukraine. A February 2025 poll from the Gallup-sanctioned Ukrainian pollster Socis found 86.5% of Ukrainians opposed it. As of June 2025, 4.3 million Ukrainians were living in the European Union, according to Eurostat.

How The Media Covered It: The story was not widely covered by Western mainstream media. An analysis from ZeroHedge (Lean Right bias) said eligible young men will “likely” now leave Ukraine “in droves” as “the grinding war doesn't look to abate anytime soon.” An analysis from The New York Times (Lean Left) described Ukraine’s current conscription age as “high” and reported that the new exit rule “is politically popular… especially among families with boys.”

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