Kyiv: Just weeks before turning 18, Roman Biletskyi from Kyiv made the difficult decision to leave his family and board a westbound train to escape Ukraine and the prospect of being drawn into its protracted war. "I postponed the choice until the very last moment," Biletskyi said from his college dormitory in Slovakia, where he arrived in February on what he described as a "one-way ticket." Not every young Ukrainian chose the same path. Andriy Kotyk, in contrast, enlisted in the army shortly after turning 18 early in the war in 2022. "I thought it through and decided it was my duty," Kotyk shared from his post in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, clad in body armor and holding a rifle. After surviving a drone attack, he awaited vehicle repairs. "I told myself, ‘I’ll defend my homeland.’ Better to serve than flee."

Ukraine has barred most adult men from leaving since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Interviews with young Ukrainians, their families, military recruiters, and officials reveal a harsh dilemma confronting thousands of boys as they approach adulthood: stay and face the dangers of war, or leave in search of safety abroad. While most young men remain, some, like Biletskyi, have chosen to leave, avoiding the trenches and potential injury or death. As the conflict nears its third year, with Russia holding the upper hand, Ukraine is struggling to replenish its depleted, aging ranks.

Since the war began, over 190,000 Ukrainian boys aged 14-17 have registered for temporary protected status in EU countries, part of a massive exodus. While Ukraine has lowered its military call-up age to 25 from 27, international allies are urging Kyiv to enlist younger fighters—a step Ukraine has resisted so far. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently remarked, "Ukraine faces tough decisions, including bringing younger people into the fight. Currently, those aged 18-25 are not fully engaged."

Neither Biletskyi nor Kotyk expressed regret for their decisions. For Biletskyi, leaving was a race against time. "The clock was ticking," he said, recalling his family’s emotional preparations before his departure. Now studying business management in Bratislava, he feels it was the right choice for his future. Kotyk, who left behind music school to enlist, views his military service as a duty. At 21, he has experienced combat firsthand, including participating in Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson in 2022. "The first missions were terrifying," he admitted. "But I adapted." Despite his transformation through war, he dreams of returning to music and building a life after the conflict.

For recruiters like Volodymyr Davydiuk of Kyiv’s renowned Third Assault Brigade, the need for younger, more resilient fighters is pressing. "A 20-year-old fights differently than a 40-year-old," he observed. Yet attracting younger recruits remains challenging; the average age of applicants is over 32. Beyond the battlefield, Ukraine’s demographic and economic crises deepen. Birth rates have plummeted, labor shortages are severe, and millions have fled. From January to June 2024, just 87,655 children were born in Ukraine—a third fewer than in the same period in 2021.

Almost 7 million Ukrainians of all ages have left the country since the war began, with 4.2 million under temporary EU protection as of September. In response, Kyiv has established a Ministry for National Unity to encourage citizens to return, though success is uncertain as the conflict grinds on. For parents like Svitlana Biletska, watching her son leave was agonizing. "Seeing his train pull away was heartbreaking," she said. Still, she believes it was the right decision: "This is about him having a future, something I can’t see happening here right now."