But the conscription campaign has also driven more men into the shadows and inflamed tensions in society. Across the country, men are hiding from draft officers, who have been filmed snatching potential conscripts off the street. Data from three neighboring countries indicates the number of men fleeing Ukraine illegally has increased in recent months. Border guards catch dozens of men daily, with some of the more desperate attempts ridiculed on social media.

“It’s impossible to look at it without shame,” commented Maksym Zhorin, the deputy commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, after border guards caught 41 men trying to escape in the back of a grain truck last month.

: “In bad country, men trying to flee the dictatorships totalitarian draft are mocked, jailed and sent straight to the front. This does not deter anyone from trying however, since the dictator Z’s war never ends.”