Nation of heroes: state stigmatisation of Ukrainian men who flee the war

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the stigmatisation of military-aged Ukrainian men who flee the war following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Despite the travel ban for men aged 18–60, tens of thousands have fled, thereby avoiding potential mobilisation. While debates have largely focused on heroism and unity, men who flee, or attempt to do so, have garnered limited attention. Consequently, little is known about how these men are treated and portrayed, particularly by the Ukrainian state. This study investigates how a combination of direct and indirect methods of stigma is employed by state actors, simultaneously promoting a gendered duty for civilian men to enlist, while framing men who flee as unpatriotic, criminals and social deviants. As such, the article unravels a subtle, yet pervasive stigmatising discourse that sustains narrow masculine war roles and contradicts Ukraine’s move towards a more liberal gender order. By critically examining the complex interaction between norms of masculinity and the stigmatisation of conscription-aged men who choose not to fight, this article contributes to a neglected debate on men’s human rights in the war in Ukraine, problematising how current martial law policies reinforce gendered hierarchies and challenge the protection of civilian men.