Ukraine’s draft dodgers are living in fear
Ever more conscripts are needed against Russia’s offensive
THE IDEA was madness, opening a bar in the throes of war. Russian warships dominated Odessa’s horizon and the streets were barricaded with tank traps. Normal people were preserving whatever they had. But for a group of former philosophy students, it was the moment dreams were made and they poured everything into the project. By early summer 2022 they had refashioned a beauty salon into a new cultural hotspot, selling erotic photography and moonshine vodka. They mused about becoming partisans to fight the Russians should they ever appear.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Odessa’s vanishing lads”
Europe May 4th 2024
- Emmanuel Macron on how to rescue Europe
- Espionage scandals are hurting Germany’s far right
- Ukraine’s draft dodgers are living in fear
- Turkey’s President Erdogan faces a new challenge from Islamists
- Donald Tusk mulls which of the previous government’s plans to axe
- Europeans lack visceral attachment to the EU. Does it matter?
From the May 4th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare