2024-04-25 19:54:26
The move, which will hinder the updating of official documents abroad, was quick to attract criticism.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine “announced the temporary suspension of accepting new applications for consular services” for men between the ages of 18 and 60. She made an exception for documents that would allow them to return to Ukraine.
The measure is likely to oblige Ukrainian men to travel to Ukraine for routine administrative procedures that previously could be done abroad.
It is indicated that such a decision is also linked to the mobilization law, which is to enter into force on May 18.
The law seeks to overhaul the conscription system by, among other things, toughening penalties for draft dodgers and forcing men to continually renew their military registration.
The ministry said the suspension of consular services was necessary to resolve “technical issues” related to the implementation of the new legislation.
She said men would be able to use consular services once the law goes into effect and “after renewing their military registration.”
“Male citizens of Ukraine between the ages of 18 and 60 with valid military registration documents will be able to use all consular services,” the statement said.
“Duties to the Motherland”
Since the beginning of the invasion, Ukrainian men have been prohibited from leaving the country, with few exceptions. But some had been living abroad even before the war began, and Ukrainian media estimated that thousands more had fled the country illegally.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, warned a little earlier that “staying abroad does not release a citizen from his duties to the homeland.” He called for “correct” measures for “men of military age in Ukraine and abroad.”
However, the news has been met with some criticism and concern. Some public figures warned that it would backfire.
“This will not encourage men who have gone abroad to return to Ukraine and fight,” former deputy justice minister Sergei Petuchov said on Facebook.
Economist Sergej Fursa called the measures “revenge” and accused the government of acting out of “populism” that risks “dividing society”.
Oleksandr Pavlichenko, head of the Helsinki Group’s branch in Ukraine, noted that this move could negatively affect Kiev’s reputation abroad.
Since late last year, Kiev has ceded some positions to Russian forces as it faces manpower shortages and lacks much-needed aid from its Western allies.
It took the Ukrainian government several months to pass a law facilitating mobilization.
But lawmakers have come under fire for scrapping a provision that would have allowed soldiers who served more than 36 months to return home.
2024-04-25 19:54:26