Photograph: Lynsey Addario/New York TimesThe number of young Ukrainian men arriving in Ireland has increased by 42 per cent as growing numbers seek to avoid conscription to the front lines of the country’s war against Russia. Almost four years on from Russia’s invasion, officials in Kyiv have warned they are facing a severe troop shortage due to young men leaving the country in an attempt to avoid mandatory military service. The surge in arrivals of young men stands in contrast to refugee patterns in the earlier stages of the war. Young men made up a much smaller proportion of the total. Regardless of the action he takes, the rate of young men arriving in Ireland is expected to increase further by the end of the year.

Source: The Irish Times November 17, 2025 06:06 UTC