Kyiv has suspended consular services for citizens of military age

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has instructed all consulates of the country to suspend the provision of consular services for male citizens aged 18 to 60 years who are abroad. About it reports publication “Zerkalo Nedeli” with reference to the letter available to the editors from the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrey Sibiga.

The restriction of access to consular services is being introduced in connection with “the ongoing armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine” and in order to prevent Ukrainian citizens from avoiding “the responsibility to resolve the issue of military registration,” the letter states.

The publication clarifies that the ban will be in effect from April 23 until the department receives clarification regarding the provisions of the law on mobilization, which will come into force in May. Until then, Ukrainians subject to the ban will only be able to obtain documents to return to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian authorities did not officially announce the introduction of the ban.

On April 11, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a new law on mobilization, which, in particular, tightens the rules for military registration. Five days later, the law was signed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The law will come into force in May.

According to the document, all citizens of Ukraine liable for military service must update their military registration data within 60 days after the publication of the text of the law. This also applies to those living abroad; without a document on military registration, Ukrainians will not be provided with consular services.

• Martial law in Ukraine has been in effect since February 24, 2022, the day of the full-scale Russian invasion. From the same day mobilization began. Men aged 18 to 60 were restricted from leaving the country. The current legislative norms, however, according to the authorities, did not make it possible to effectively organize the mobilization process; numerous cases were reported of refusal to receive summonses, to appear on them to verify data, and so on. The new law, according to its authors, should establish clear rules for conscription and tighten penalties for evading it.