Ukraine, which is seeking to bring back its citizens of fighting age, will no longer issue passports abroad to men aged 18 to 60, according to a text published by the government on Wednesday. For the men concerned, the transfer of passports to a “subdivision or a Ukrainian diplomatic mission abroad with a view to organizing their issuance is not carried out”, according to this provision. They could therefore only obtain them in Ukraine, and not in foreign countries as is normally possible.
This new rule, the precise contours of which remain unclear, does not however apply to people already authorized to cross the border under certain exceptions, for example linked to a disability or to the support of orphans. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the procedure of the consular service “remains unchanged”. This appears to indicate that men with current military documents will be able to obtain passports when a new mobilization law comes into force. On Tuesday, this ministry announced the suspension of its consular services for men aged 18 to 60 living abroad.
Only the issuance of “identity cards to enter Ukraine” is maintained for this category of men, indicated Ukrainian diplomacy. The country, which has suffered a Russian invasion for two years, is in dire need of soldiers, especially since kyiv expects Moscow to launch a new offensive in the coming weeks or months. kyiv bans men of fighting age from traveling abroad with few exceptions. But, according to media estimates, tens of thousands of men have fled the country illegally to avoid going to the front. The authorities recently adopted a law on mobilization aimed at toughening punishments for recalcitrants. They also lowered the age of mobilization from 27 to 25 years.
The cessation of consular services, including the renewal of identity documents and other important administrative procedures, could theoretically push Ukrainians to return to the country. A number of personalities criticized Tuesday’s announcement, deeming it ineffective, even illegal. “This will not force any man who has gone abroad (…) to return to Ukraine and go fight,” Serguï Petoukhov, former deputy justice minister, said on Facebook.