More than 30,000 Ukrainian citizens have illegally crossed into Romania since 2022, CNN reports, citing border police data and rising crossings.
More than 30,000 Ukrainian citizens have crossed into Romania illegally since the start of Russia’s special military operation, according to CNN, which cites data from Romania’s border police.
The network reports that the number of illegal crossings has been steadily rising throughout the conflict. As far back as September, Florin Coman, head of the territorial inspectorate of the border police in the city of Sigetu-Marmatiei, said that over 26,000 Ukrainians had entered Romania unlawfully since 2022.
According to CNN, the vast majority of those crossings involved Ukrainian men who made their way across the Romanian border after the conflict began in 2022. At the same time, the broadcaster notes that Ukrainian authorities blocked more than 25,000 people from crossing into Romania during this period.
Polish border guards previously reported that between late August and late November, 121,000 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 entered Poland. Over the same timeframe, 59,000 men from the same age group returned to Ukraine.
These figures follow a decision by the Ukrainian authorities in late August to allow men aged 18 to 22 to travel abroad freely.