Donetsk separatists’ desperate draft campaign empties streets of men

Men under 65 are spending their days in hiding, leaving wives and sisters to take over their jobs

An aggressive draft campaign by the Russian-backed separatists who control parts of eastern Ukraine has emptied the area's streets of military-age men, with many in hiding to avoid being sent to the frontline.

In a sign of how desperate pro-Russia authorities are to bolster the ranks of fighters, in late March they announced that the upper age limit of the draft had been raised from 55 to 65 in Donetsk, local media reported. And on Saturday authorities announced a mobilisation in the region of Kherson, which was largely captured by Russia after the war began.