📌 What does "wanted" mean?

In Ukrainian reality, this usually refers not to a criminal search, but to:

men who have failed to update their information at territorial recruitment centers (TRCs);

those who failed to appear when summoned;

people whose actual place of residence does not match their registered address;

citizens who left the country earlier or changed their address without notice.

In other words, it's an administrative status, not an automatic criminal offense.

⚖️ Why did this situation arise?

1️⃣ Mass war and a sharp increase in mobilization

After the outbreak of a full-scale war, the state needed hundreds of thousands of military personnel. The military registration system, which had been formal for decades, proved unprepared for such a scale.

2️⃣ Outdated databases

Many men:

had not contacted military registration and enlistment offices for years;

lived in another city or abroad;

worked unofficially.

As a result, the state simply doesn't know where they are.

3️⃣ Internal migration

Millions of Ukrainians changed their place of residence due to the fighting. This greatly complicated monitoring and accounting.

🤔 Why do some men not want to fight?

It's important to understand: the reasons are very varied, and it's not always "cowardice" or "betrayal."

🔹 Fear of Death and Injury

War is a real risk of death or disability. This is a basic human fear, not a weakness.

🔹 Distrust of the System

Some fear:

poor training,

unequal distribution (who fights and who "decides"),

corruption and injustice.

🔹 Family and Responsibility

Men are the sole breadwinners, fathers of small children, people with sick relatives. For them, going to the front means the destruction of their family.

🔹 Psychological Burnout

The third year of war is chronic stress, fatigue, depression, a feeling of having no choice.

🧠 Where "they hide" - myth and reality

The phrase "hiding" is often heard in public. In practice, this means:

living at their actual place of residence, but without contact with the shopping center;

working unofficially;

Minimize publicity.

⚠️ Important: most aren't living in basements or hiding like criminals. They've simply dropped off the radar.

🌍 Why isn't this unique to Ukraine?

Similar processes occurred:

in the United States during the Vietnam War,

in Russia after the announcement of mobilization,

in other countries during large-scale wars.

Mass mobilization always provokes resistance from a portion of society - that's a historical fact.

🇺🇦 The State's Position

For the state, war is a matter of the survival of Ukraine.
From the government's perspective:

mobilization is necessary;

evasion undermines defense capability;

the rules must be the same for everyone.

Hence the tightening of controls and legislation.

⚖️ The Main Conflict

This is a conflict between two realities:

🏛 The state thinks in terms of the front and the country's survival.

👤 People think in terms of life, family, and personal safety.

As long as the war continues, this conflict cannot be fully resolved.

🏁 Conclusion

The figure of "2 million" is primarily a counting issue, not a reference to millions of "criminals."

People don't want to fight for various reasons: fear, family, mistrust, fatigue.

The situation is painful and difficult for all sides.

This is not a uniquely Ukrainian problem, but a typical tragedy of a protracted war.