Ukraine bans dual citizens to leave country amid forced conscription
3 Min Read
A new government decree requires those concerned to register for draft within 30 days.
-
Ukrainian soldiers prepare to fire 120mm mortar towards Russian position on the front line at an undisclosed location in Donetsk, Monday, June 4, 2024 (Ukrainian 24 Mechanized brigade/AP)
A Ukrainian border guard official revealed that Ukrainians with dual citizenship are now banned from leaving the country, as they are also no longer exempt from the military draft under a new mobilization law.
Border service spokesperson Andrey Demchenko told state TV on Tuesday, "We are not letting this category of citizens through now," announcing that a new government decree requires those concerned in the matter to register for draft within 30 days.
Previously, dual nationals and Ukrainians living abroad under a residence permit were exempted from military service.
Earlier this month, Ukraine Defense Ministry spokesperson Dmitry Lazutkin stated that the Ukrainian society must be prepared to make sacrifices and relinquish their peaceful lives to overcome the threat posed by Russia.
Kiev is revamping its military conscription system to increase the number of soldiers amid setbacks in the ongoing war with Russia.
Read next: Ukraine to exempt clowns from mobilization for 'critical importance'
"Globally speaking, starting on May 18, when the mobilization law comes into force, first of all, the approach to this war will change," Lazutkin said as quoted by Espresso TV.
Drafting prisoners to maintain frontlines
The Ukrainian government's desperation has led to the drafting of convicts. Ukraine started drafting convicted prisoners to serve in the armed forces as it struggles to maintain frontlines three years into the war after suffering significant losses among its forces, especially with the newly launched Russian offensive late last month, which has resulted so far in Kiev losing significant territorial grounds, The New York Times reported on May 24.
Since the outbreak of hostilities with Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has been in dire need of replacing nearly half a million casualties, as estimated by Moscow. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated, on March 20, that Ukraine has lost 71,000 men and 11,000 units in 2024 alone.
Thousands had fled across the border into EU member Romania to escape being drafted.
They are "kids who never fought in their lives, scared to go to the battlefront", Dan Benga, head of the Maramures Mountain Rescue, told AFP on May 27.
"Many of them say that they'd rather come and die on the mountain than die in the war." As Ukraine's grip on the war situation weakened, it reduced the minimum mobilization age from 27 to 25.
The new mobilization age has pushed Ukrainians to flee to Romania: almost 2,500 in the first four months of 2024, according to Romanian border police, which is twice as many as in the same period last year.
