New rules for draft-age Ukrainians abroad come into effect Saturday
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As of this Saturday, draft-age Ukrainians living abroad will have to update their data in a special register before they can use consular service.
Kyiv is increasing efforts to mobilise men who may be hiding from military service. Consular services have been suspended for them, which has caused a great deal of indignation, especially in Poland.
While in the early months of the large-scale war with Russia people were lining up to sign up for the military, now officials in the country admit that recruiting news soldiers is a big problem. In order to encourage people to join, the Ukrainian government is allowing volunteers to choose where they want to serve.
“It is possible to join the mobilisation on a voluntary basis. There are up to 80 military bases where you can choose, find a position, make arrangements and join the forces,” says Oleksiy Bezhevets, mobilisation advisor at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
Even men with health issues are serving.
But this is not enough, and Ukraine’s leaders have started to look for additional manpower outside the country. Recently, many Ukrainians living in Poland were informed that their expiring documents would be replaced. Ukrainians scattered all over Poland came to Warsaw in the hope of obtaining their new passports, but received bad news.
At the end of April, Ukraine decided to stop issuing new passports to some draft-age men who live abroad. Consular services were also suspended for men aged 18–60. The only option was to return to Ukraine, where some would be served with a call-up letter. According to Petro Beshta, the Ukrainian ambassador to Lithuania, these were temporary measures.
All male Ukrainian citizens aged 18–60 living abroad will have to update their information in a special military register, so that Ukraine will know whether men of draft age who have left the country are hiding from the service. Only after updating their information, will consular services become available to them.
