Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed his government to consider allowing men under 22 to travel abroad, potentially easing restrictions that have been in place since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine currently bars most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving during martial law, regardless of whether they’re eligible for military service. Only those 25 and older can be drafted, but the travel ban applies to all men in the broader age range, with exceptions for men with disabilities, fathers of multiple children, volunteers, and several other categories.
Zelensky’s proposal would allow men between the ages of 18 and 21 to cross Ukraine’s borders freely, which he said would help young Ukrainians “maintain ties with Ukraine and pursue their educational goals,” indicating his hope that allowing travel would reduce educational disruption and keep students engaged with Ukrainian institutions and credentials.
Zelensky’s proposal is the latest development in the debate over easing Ukraine’s wartime travel restrictions as the country grapples with massive population displacement and declining university application rates. As Hromadske notes, this is not the first time Ukraine has discussed revising the upper age limit for travel abroad. In July, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk told reporters that the parliament had discussed the possibility of allowing men up to the age of 24 to leave the country. Meanwhile, in 2024, Ukraine lowered the upper age limit for mobilization from 27 to 25 years, though it has resisted U.S. pressure to draft 18-year-olds.