Devastating effects of Ukraine’s travel ban on its men

AMHERST — Far-reaching implications of a travel ban on men imposed by the Ukrainian government shortly after the invasion last year, according to a new report from The Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The ban, which applies to nearly 9.5 million civilian men aged 18 to 60 in Ukraine, has separated families, trapped college students and other nonresidents inside the country, and limited the freedom of movement of transgender women.

Russia’s war on Ukraine recently passed 500 days.

Among the report’s findings:

• the ban leaves civilian men vulnerable to gender-selective massacres;
• the policy is broadly unpopular among the Ukrainian public;
• the travel ban is inconsistent with international human rights standards during wartime;
• women, children and students are also adversely affected by the ban;
• lifting or relaxing the ban could increase morale, reduce corruption, align Ukraine with Europe rather than with Russia and increase financial giving from abroad;
• and that Ukrainians believe they can contribute to the war effort even if abroad.

The report is based on a comprehensive survey of more than 4,000 Ukrainian citizens, analyses of citizen comments on petitions to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging him to lift the ban, and numerous consultations with experts and civil-society organizations.