this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2025
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Long story short - I have slightly more than a year left before I'm legally required to serve in the Ukrainian military, not that it matters that much since they grab people off the streets anyway, but it will be an even bigger problem since I will officially have no "excuse" not to serve and will have to hide or escape before then, and it doesn't look like the war will end for the next god knows how many years. Has anyone here draft-dodged or escaped their country in a similar manner before? If so, any advice on how to do so?

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[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

You're a woman so presumably they wouldnt be grabbing you off the street, but would come looking for you at your home when the time came. That should help you in that at least you can move around with less scrutiny.

How easy is it to move within Ukraine? Can you navigate the roads relatively undisturbed or are there checkpoints checking your official ID and stuff? Do you have access to transportation?

[–] Envylike@lemmygrad.ml 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

As for moving - there are a lot of checkpoints everywhere so not that easy. Possible, but risky with a train. I don't have a car sadly so I have to rely on external methods to get me around if I need to.

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Is it possible to find out where checkpoints are ahead of time?

Take this with a grain of salt I'm just some guy on the Internet. But what I would do is learn to read a map and compass, get to a location near the border, find a landmark ahead of time and the beginning of a clear path like a power line easement on the other side, then use the landmark and the bearing to set direction then I would exit through the woods on foot. Something like a national park with a tourist presence. Just a gal out to enjoy the fall colors. Or a birder. You could practice navigation in a big park in the meantime. It's not that difficult if you already know where you are and where you are going.

If it's possible to rent a car I would do that and ditch it. Not the most elegant but it's life or death.

I would scout everything ahead of time using satellite data. Google Earth would be enough to find waypoints and landmarks. If you have an area where you really need visibility you can buy remarkably high res satellite imagery from commercial providers. Possible exit points/area of the hike for instance or if you need to know how checkpoints are set up. You should look up 30cm satellite imagery to get a feel for the types of resolution these folks are capable of.

[–] Envylike@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 week ago

Thank you, I honestly didn't even consider satellite images as a way to research this, so this advice might come in handy. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to rent a car quite yet but if my situation changes that is a valid option. As for finding out about checkpoints - eh, they aren't always set in stone and they periodically open up new ones, so I wouldn't count too much on that.

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