Head of Maramures Mountain Rescue Dan Benga (L), 55, reacts as he recives an emergency call, on a plateau close to the Romanian-Ukrainian border in Maramures mountains on May 15, 2024. With Russia gaining ground in Ukraine and Kyiv tightening rules to replenish the army, lowering the minimum age of mobilisation from 27 to 25, neighbouring countries have noted an uptick in young Ukrainian men seeking to sneak across borders.
The Romanian Border Police has recorded almost 2,500 Ukrainians arriving in the first four months of 2024, double than in the same period last year.
This is despite warnings about the danger of freezing in the mountains or drowning in the Tisa River that runs along part of the 400-kilometre-long border with Ukraine in Romania's north. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP)