Men capable of military service should return
Kyiv no longer gives passports to Ukrainians abroad
April 25, 2024, 7:36 a.m
The Ukrainians are lacking a lot in their defensive battle against Russia. In addition to artillery ammunition, rockets and air defense, the force is lacking soldiers. Now the army is trying to get men of military age living abroad back home. The passport should be a lever for this.
Ukraine stops issuing passports to men aged 18 to 60 living abroad. A regulation published on the government’s official online portal on Wednesday said that sending passports to Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad will “no longer be practiced.” This means that Ukrainian men of military age will only be able to obtain their passports in the country in the future.
The measure is part of the Ukrainian government’s efforts to encourage men to return to their home country. On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry in Kiev announced the temporary suspension of consular services for male Ukrainians living abroad between the ages of 18 and 60 – with the exception of the issuance of identity cards for returning to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba previously stated on That’s why he ordered measures to “restore the balance between men of military age in Ukraine and those abroad.”
On Wednesday, hundreds of Ukrainians protested in front of a passport issuing office in the Polish capital Warsaw because their documents were not handed over to them. Officials justified the stop with “technical problems.” The Ukrainian ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Swarich, assured that all applications for travel documents submitted before April 23 would be processed.
Kiev tightened the rules for the mobilization of soldiers a good two weeks ago. Among other things, conscientious objectors are punished more harshly and those who do military service are released later. After more than two years of war, Ukraine has fallen seriously behind the Russian aggressors. The army has recently had great difficulty recruiting new soldiers.