Ukraine police conduct raids in draft evasion probe
KIEV
Ukrainian police said on Jan. 17 its officers were conducting 200 searches nationwide as part of an ongoing probe into the illegal exit of military-aged men from the country.
Kiev has been pushing a sweeping and divisive mobilisation campaign to boost its military, which is struggling to hold back Russia's significantly larger army that is advancing across at several sectors across the front.
"The national police force is conducting more than 200 searches regarding cases of illegal border crossings" of Ukrainian men who are eligible for army service, the national police said in a statement.
The raids are just the latest step in a country-wide probe launched by law enforcement last week when Kiev said police were searching some 600 homes, offices and other sites.
Ukraine's divisive campaign to strengthen its military has spurred panic among fighting-aged men and has seen thousands flee the country towards Europe, sometimes utilising dangerous smuggling routes over mountains or rivers.
Police said on Jan. 17 that its searches were being conducted in 19 different regions and posted pictures of officers with weapons entering and cameras at what appeared to be private residences and offices.
Kiev has been battling problems with systemic corruption within its military mobilisation infrastructure since the beginning of Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Late last year, Ukrainian former prosecutor general Andriy Kostin resigned after a probe uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme that apparently provided military draft exemptions for government officials.
