Draft dodgers who flee across border to Belarus are interrogated about movement of Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment and "arrivals," - media. VIDEO
Ukrainian men of conscription age who illegally cross the border with Belarus said that they are interrogated there by unknown individuals in civilian clothing. They are most interested in the movement of military equipment and the locations of "arrivals."
This is reported in an article by "Slidstvo.Info," as relayed by Censor.NET.
Stories of fugitives
Participants in Telegram chats who managed to escape "share their experiences." In particular, they talk about interrogations and suggest that the conversations are conducted by special services agents.
"You go into a room and sit behind a small grille. They lock you in. And you talk... Well, it's clear that it's either the KGB or the FSB," said one of the men.
The main questions that interest Belarusian law enforcement officers are the whereabouts and movements of Ukrainian military personnel.
"They ask us to reveal our positions. They ask where the equipment is being moved," says another chat participant.
"They took our phones, they took our passports, they took everything. Their checks are funny, of course. He looks at me and says, 'First Tank Brigade!' And he watches my reaction. And I sit there like a deer in the headlights, staring at him," adds another man.
It is almost impossible to avoid answering questions from Belarusian law enforcement officers: "You understand that the law doesn't apply there. You can't say, 'You have no right'. If he wants your phone, he takes it. What can you say to him? That I forbid it?"
What does the State Border Guard Service say?
State Border Service spokesman Andrii Demchenko believes that the increase in popularity of the route through Belarus is linked to the activities of organised criminal groups.
"The fugitives are independent in deciding that they want to leave Ukraine illegally, but they are not independent in planning their route.
That is, most of those we detain usually turn to criminal groups. Let's call them organisers who facilitate illegal border crossings," he explained.
According to the State Border Service, in 2025, most Ukrainian men subject to military service who tried to flee through Belarus were detained in the border areas of Rivne and Zhytomyr regions, less often in Volyn, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.
Draft dodgers are beneficial for Lukashenko
Vladimir Zhigar, a representative of the Belarusian organisation BelPol, says that the flow of draft dodgers is beneficial for Lukashenko's regime:
"These people are taken under control, after which they are actually taken, so to speak, to the border with the European Union. Because their main goal, in essence, has already been achieved - it is to gather information."
