Ukraine forces military-age men to return home

The Ukrainian army has struggled in part due to a lack of soldiers – Copyright AFP Dave Chan

Ukraine on Tuesday suspended consular services for men of fighting age living abroad, after announcing measures to bring them home amid a manpower shortage in the army fighting Russia.

The move, which will hinder the renewal of official documents abroad, attracted criticism.

It is part of efforts to strengthen the Ukrainian army, which is struggling to hold the front lines, partly due to a lack of soldiers.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “announced a temporary suspension of accepting new applications for consular services” for men between the ages of 18 and 60.

An exception was made for documents allowing them to return to Ukraine.

The measure will likely force Ukrainian men to apply for administrative procedures that were previously available abroad in Ukraine.

It is linked to a mobilization law that will come into force on May 18.

The law aims to overhaul the mobilization system, including by toughening penalties against draft dodgers and forcing men to keep their military registration up to date.

The suspension of consular services was necessary to “resolve technical issues” related to the implementation of the new legislation, the ministry said.

It said men would be able to access consular services once the law came into effect and “after updating their military registration.”

“Male citizens of Ukraine between the ages of 18 and 60 with valid military registration documents will have full access to consular services,” the report said.

– ‘Duties to the Fatherland’ –

Since the beginning of the invasion, Ukrainian men have been banned from leaving the country, with few exceptions.

But some lived before the war began, and Ukrainian media estimate that thousands more fled the country illegally.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously said that “a stay abroad does not relieve a citizen of his or her duties towards the home country.”

He said he had ordered “fair” measures against “men of draft age in Ukraine and abroad.”

Even before the official statement, Ukrainian media published a document announcing the measure.

It was met with some criticism and concern, with many public figures warning that it would be counterproductive.

“This will not stop men who went abroad… from returning to Ukraine and fighting,” Sergiy Petukhov, a former deputy justice minister, said on Facebook.

Sergiy Fursa, an economist, described the measures as “revenge” and accused the government of acting on “populism” that risks “dividing society.”

The head of the Ukrainian branch of the Helsinki Group, Oleksandr Pavlichenko, said the move could negatively impact Kiev’s reputation abroad.

Kiev has ceded ground to Russian forces since late last year as it faces manpower shortages and delays in much-needed aid from Western allies.

It took months for the Ukrainian government to pass the law facilitating the mobilization.

But lawmakers were criticized for removing a clause that would have allowed soldiers who had fought for more than 36 months to return home.

The new laws are intended to boost Ukraine’s fighting potential but have sparked anger in a country exhausted by more than two years of fighting against invading Russian forces.