KYIV: Ukrainian police said Friday they were conducting hundreds of raids nationwide to shut down routes used by military-aged men to flee the country to avoid military service.
Kyiv has been driving a large-scale mobilization campaign for months to boost its military, which is struggling to hold back Russia’s significantly larger army that is advancing in the east of the country, nearly three years after Moscow invaded.
The divisive campaign has spurred panic among Ukrainian fighting-aged men and has seen thousands flee the country illegally toward Europe, sometimes utilising dangerous smuggling routes over mountains or rivers.
“More than 600 simultaneous searches are being conducted by the SBU (Security Services of Ukraine) operatives and National Police investigators,” police said in a statement.
“This is only the first stage of a special operation to block the channels of trafficking of men of military age abroad,” it added.
It said that the operation was primarily targeting the organizers of schemes that aid draft evaders to illegally cross the Ukrainian border. It said it would provide more information on the operation soon.
Police said “criminals” had helped hundreds of people cross the border via illegal routes and that the operation was being conducted across the country.
“Details of the operation will be made public after all investigative actions are completed,” the statement added.
Kyiv has been battling problems with systemic corruption within its military mobilization 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.
That followed a decision by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to fire the heads of regional draft offices.
Kyiv begins mass operation to seal borders for draft evaders
https://arab.news/r27vj
Kyiv begins mass operation to seal borders for draft evaders
- Kyiv has been driving a large-scale mobilization campaign for months to boost its military
- Mobilization has spurred panic among Ukrainian fighting-aged men and has seen thousands flee
France, Algeria to resume security cooperation: minister
- Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by terrorist violence
ALGIERS: France and Algeria agreed on Tuesday to restart security cooperation during a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, marking the first sign of a thaw in diplomatic ties.
After meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Nunez said both sides had agreed to “reactivate a high-level security cooperation mechanism.”
The visit took place against a backdrop of thorny relations between France and its former colony, frayed since Paris in 2024 officially backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, where Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front.
Nunez said Monday had been devoted to working sessions aimed at “restoring normal security relations,” including cooperation in judicial matters, policing and intelligence.
He thanked the Algerian president for instructing his services to work with French authorities to “improve cooperation on readmissions.” Algeria has for months refused to take back its nationals living irregularly in France.
The renewed cooperation is expected to take effect “as quickly as possible” and continue “at a very high level,” Nunez confirmed.
According to images released by Algerian authorities, the talks brought together senior security officials from both countries, including France’s domestic intelligence chief and Algeria’s head of internal security.
Invited by his counterpart Said Sayoud, Nunez’s trip had been planned for months but repeatedly delayed.
Both sides have a backlog of issues to tackle. Before traveling, Nunez said he intended to raise “all security issues,” including drug trafficking and counterterrorism.
Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by terrorist violence.
Ahead of the trip, Nunez had also mentioned the case of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist serving a seven-year sentence for “glorifying terrorism.”
It is unclear whether the matter was discussed with Tebboune, from whom the journalist’s family has requested a pardon.
