Women in Lviv urge Ukraine not to open border to men

Why Ukrainian women are asking not to open the border to men

In the middle of the war, the request sounds contradictory: just as some men are demanding to leave the country, it is the women themselves who object. A street survey released by the Ukrainian outlet Strana, filmed in Lviv, shows every young woman interviewed speaking out against opening the border crossings to men. The argument is not patriotic, it is self-protection. "If these guys leave, women will be mobilized," they say.

The men who appear in the same video think the opposite. They want out. None of the women surveyed shares that view, and the explanation is pragmatic: if no men of military age remain, conscription will target them.

The issue has sparked public debate in Spain. Some accuse these women of cowardice or betrayal, while others argue that female mobilization is inevitable and that preventing men from leaving only delays the unavoidable. In between lies a dose of cynicism that unsettles: while the women surveyed talk about their antiestéticar of ending up on the front line, their critics respond with slurs that discourage any real analysis.

The curious thing about the debate is the shared premise. Nobody questions that, if the men leave, women will take their place in the trenches. The question hangs in the air: would the Ukrainian state be willing to foot that bill before making a move on its own female citizens? For now, the answer from those at the center of it is clear: better not to open the border.