Ukraine pressures men abroad to serve in military by cutting off consular services – BBC News

James Waterhouse (Keew), Paul Kirby (London), BBC News

The Ukrainian government will suspend consular services for male citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 abroad as part of measures to increase the mobilization of soldiers.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that while it was still important to protect the rights of Ukrainians, “protecting our homeland from destruction is our top priority” during a full-scale Russian invasion.

Russia vastly outperforms Ukraine in military strength and weapons on the battlefield.

After “calling” on Ukrainian men abroad to return home in December, the Ukrainian government appears to be trying to apply further pressure by denying them vital services they might receive abroad.

With the controversial new mobilization law passed on the 12th of this month, the government appears to have moved past the stage of worrying about unpopular decisions. With this law, the government lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25.

Foreign Minister Kuleba wrote on social media that he would restore a “fair attitude” towards men of military age in Ukraine, both at home and abroad.

The foreign minister pointed out that men of military age are leaving Ukraine and still seeking services from the state. “That doesn’t work. Our country is at war,” he said.

The scope of the latest restrictions on consular services is not yet clear. Many Ukrainian men abroad are exempt from combat for legitimate reasons, such as being disabled or having three or more children.

According to the letter signed by a senior foreign ministry official, the consulate will only issue the Ukrainian man with the documents he needs to return home. Separately, the issuance of biometric passports outside Ukraine was suspended “for technical reasons,” the state-run passport authority announced.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said he expected a full-scale Russian attack within weeks after withdrawing from eastern Audiivka in the winter.

The Ukrainian military says there were fighting in 86 locations on the 22nd alone.

Posters have been put up on the streets of Ukrainian cities urging soldiers to volunteer to protect their homeland.

But those who want to volunteer have already done so and are either dead, wounded or exhausted on the front lines.

Instead of focusing on a rotational model, government officials say everyone should do their part.

However, the main criticism of the new mobilization law is that there is no limit on the length of military service.

The new law, an enemy-dominated front, and corruption surrounding conscription have combined to force hundreds of thousands of men of military age to flee the country.

The United Nations refugee agency estimates that more than 6.4 million Ukrainians have fled the country, with many staying in European Union member states. The EU’s statistics office estimates that 20.6% of the 4.3 million Ukrainians living in the region are men.