This one simple trick made society care for the safety, feelings, and rights of young conscripts
Human rights organisations rallied to these conscripts' defence. What was their secret?
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prominent mainstream media outlets—particularly those on the political left—published harrowing accounts of the hardship, fear, and discrimination faced by Ukrainian men of conscription age, who were barred from fleeing to safety alongside their more privileged female neighbours.
Conscripts in Ukraine have told VICE World News that they are “totally stuck” and “scared for their lives” in the country.
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Young people said they are “terrified” of being stopped trying to leave Ukraine, and being forced to join the Ukrainian army.
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“Journeys to get to the borders may still involve being stopped at checkpoints by the police or military, queueing with members of the public, and being split into “male and female” groups for prioritising safety and travel.”
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Vice : People Stranded and Alone in Ukraine Following Russia’s Invasion
The UNHCR estimated that some 5 million refugees had fled from Ukraine to the EU, and the European Parliament hurried to adopt a resolution on the impact of the war against Ukraine on women, reasoning that an estimated 90 % of the refugees were women and children. Makes sense, right?
No. 90 % of the refugees were women and children, because men aged 18-60 were prohibited from fleeing to safety, even if they were not conscripted into the army.
Tens of thousands of men attempted to escape nonetheless. According to official sources, 30 men died during the first month of the invasion while trying to cross Ukraine's borders through dangerous rivers and mountainous terrain. Most, however, were apprehended and forcibly returned to military service.
As a direct consequence of this policy, the majority of civilian(!) deaths in Ukraine are boys and men. Remember the Bucha massacre? 82% of those murdered were men because when women fled to Western Europe, men were turned back at gunpoint.
Morally, there is no reason why they should not be allowed to pass with the thousands of women who are crossing Ukrainian borders to safety every day.
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“One day, a rocket hit about 150 metres from the house I was living in. Since then, I have had nightmares about how my limbs were blown off by a bomb.”
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“I want to be free to do what I want in life,” says Judis. “I will try again to cross the border because it’s my right to leave and to live. And I will not remain silent. I will not be held prisoner.”
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The Guardian: ‘I will not be held prisoner’: the conscripts turned back at Ukraine’s borders
Being massacered by Russians is not the only danger young Ukrainina men need to worry about: Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights published a report stating that “human rights violations by Ukrainian military recruitment officials have become “systematic and widespread” … violations include physical violence, such as beatings, brutal arrests, denial of access to a lawyer, incommunicado detention, mobilisation of people with disabilities and other unacceptable acts”.
One may be wondering, when is the European Parliament going to adopt a resolution on the impact of the war against Ukraine on men?
Discriminatory laws are keeping Faámelu hostage in Kyiv during Russian invasion
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I have ‘male’ in my passport and on all my ID, so this is a war within a war
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“Sometimes we think it’s just all a dream, that we’re stuck inside some kind of a video game. ...A few hours ago I heard bombings and my windows were shaking. ... I’m literally scared for my life.”
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Fast forward to 2026: the European Council is considering excluding military-age men from the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, which allows Ukrainians to live and work across Europe without going through national asylum systems. It is not an empty threat - the Norwegian government has already done so, cynically citing “shortage of housing” and “pressure on local services”, even though only about 39% of the nearly 63,000 Ukrainian adults settled in Norway are males.
If you are a man who managed to avoid border patrols and make it across a dangerous river alive, the EU may hand you right over to the Ukrainian military recruitment office - in the name of making more space for women.
Mind you, there is no martial law in the EU itself. And despite gender-based discrimination being prohibited in both the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, no European or international human rights organization gave a single fuck. No cries of sexism, no media attention.
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So, what changed between the sympathetic coverage of those forcibly conscripted in 2022 and the media silence over blatant sexism in 2026? What was the simple factor that determined whether society would care about the safety, feelings, and rights of those people? What was that one simple trick?
The answer: don’t be a man.
You silly, did you really think those Vice, The Guardian, and CBS articles were about men? That left-leaning media outlets would publish stories about a young man suffering nightmares about his limbs being blown off by a bomb? That anyone would give a fuck about "male passports" discriminating against actual males?
But don’t despair! If you didn’t manage to be born as someone deemed worthy of human rights and compassion, just transition to a more “equal” gender. The simple act of calling yourself a trans woman will magically change how society reacts to you being discriminated against, frightened, and unwilling to die.
PS:
To whoever needs to hear it: This is not an attack on trans people; this is a critique of societal double standards. I consider myself a supporter of trans rights. But because I see them as equals, I treat them as EQUALS. Not untouchable, not above criticism.
And honestly, those trans women should have known better. The moment this unfair gendered advantage fell into their lap, they forgot their male friends and family and jumped headfirst into the stereotype of demanding their “moral rights” to be treated better than men. That “male passport” holding them hostage in Kyiv is also holding millions of other men, yet none of the interviewed trans women gave a fuck about anyone but themselves.