In Ukraine’s West, Draft Dodgers Run, and Swim, to Avoid the War

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Lt. Vladyslav Tonkoshtan recently detained a man on the bank, where he was preparing to cross the river in the hope of reuniting with his wife and children, whom he had not seen in two years since they fled to another country in Europe.

That thousands of Ukrainian men have chosen to risk the swim rather than face the dangers as soldiers on the eastern front highlights the challenge for President Volodymyr Zelensky as he seeks to mobilize new troops after more than two years of bruising, bloody trench warfare with Russia.

With Russia having seized the initiative on the battlefield in recent months, Ukraine’s ability to defend itself hinges on replenishing its arsenal of weaponry, a matter largely up to allies, and mobilizing troops at home.

On a recent morning, within minutes of officials beginning a patrol to check papers, posts on the Telegram social networking site were tracking their movements, alerting men who want to avoid the draft.

Vitaly Semon, 30, a welder, nervously fished his passport from a pocket for soldiers checking documents one recent morning, and described his two exemptions, for a back ailment and as a caregiver for an elderly father.

Before the Russian invasion, cigarette smuggling — done to avoid high European Union taxes — infused many aspects of life in the village, he said, financing some lavish homes and new cars in the driveways.

The original article contains 1,387 words, the summary contains 231 words. Saved 83%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!