Ukrainian authorities have detained 41 conscription-age men found hidden inside a grain truck thought to be headed for the country's south-western border with Romania or Moldova.
The vehicle was inspected at night near the village of Novosilske, the border guard service said on Friday. The village is located just a few kilometres from the border to both countries.
Proceedings have been initiated against the men for attempting to cross the border illegally. Coming from 12 Ukrainian regions, they are aged between 18-60, rendering them eligible to be drafted into the army to fight the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Two other men suspected of facilitating an illegal crossing are also being investigated.
According to a separate report, border guards detained another man in the Carpathian Mountains near the Romanian border. He had made an emergency call after injuring himself in a fall from a steep cliff.
The man, also of conscription age, comes from the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.
Following the start of the war in February 2022, martial law was imposed and mobilization was ordered. Since then, fighting-age males are only able to leave the country in exceptional circumstances.
Nevertheless, dozens try to evade military service every day by illegally crossing the border.