Ukraine has suspended consular services for its men of military age living abroad except for those who need to return to Ukraine, in a move that appears to be aimed at boosting recruitment for the war with Russia.
Ukraine faces a troop shortage against Russia’s larger and better-equipped military.
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 are now: a man of military age went abroad, showed his state that he does not care about his survival, and then comes and wants to receive services from this state,” he noted.
“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 release a citizen from his or her duties at home,” Kouleba also emphasized.
In a separate announcement, the state passport issuing agency said: “Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, the issuance of documents at the overseas 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 2024, of which about 20% are adult men, i.e. around 860,000.
