The cord is tightening on those who fled abroad

The Ukraine suspended consular services for its male citizens of military age living abroad except for those who need to return to Ukraine, a government helpline says, in a move that appears to be aimed at boosting recruitment for the war with Russia.

Ukraine is facing a troop shortage against Russia’s larger and better-equipped military nearly 26 months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in a statement on social media X that he had ordered measures to restore what he described as “fair treatment” of men of military age. The Ukrainian foreign minister criticized those who left Ukraine before or during the war.

“The way things stand now: a man of military age went abroad, showed his state that he doesn’t care about his survival, and then comes and wants to receive services from that state.” write down.

“It doesn’t work like that. Our country is at war.” he added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will clarify the procedure to be followed for men of military age to secure consular services soon, he clarified.

“Staying abroad does not exempt a citizen from his or her duties at home”, Kouleba also pointed out.

In a separate announcement, state passport agency stated: “Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, the issuance of documents to the foreign branches of the KE (State Enterprise) Documents is suspended”.

According to the Eurostat database, about 4.3 million Ukrainians were registered in EU countries by January 2024of which about 20% are adult men, i.e. around 860,000.

Russian forces are making significant gains in eastern Ukraine

At the same time, Russian forces have noted significant progress in eastern Ukraineas Moscow’s offensive to seize territory before the arrival of Western military aid appears to be accelerating.

Footage posted by Kremlin military bloggers shows a Russian flag flying over the destroyed village of Ocheretyne. Russian troops reportedly entered the ground on Sunday, northwest of the town of Avdiivka, after advancing about 5 kilometers in 10 days.

The headquarters of the regional armed forces of Ukraine admitted that the situation was difficult. He said the Russians were using “an entire arsenal against our units,” including what he described as chemical weapons.