The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine commented on the rules of conscription

Ukrainian authorities will not forcibly return men of military age to the country from abroad, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olga Stefanishyna said in an interview with Deutsche Welle on Tuesday. This is how she answered the question about stopping the provision of consular services abroad to a number of Ukrainian citizens.

Stefanishina assuredthat providing personal data to territorial recruitment and social support centers does not mean automatic mobilization to the front. “Ukraine has adopted a law on mobilization, and we must understand to what extent we can replace people at the front. We are talking about the potential of mobilization – accounting and information. And this is the primary goal of our decision,” noted the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister.

Olga Stefanishyna reported that the head of the EU Department of Home Affairs and Migration, Ylva Johansson, will visit Ukraine in May. She plans to discuss with the Ukrainian authorities the issue of the further legal status of Ukrainians abroad, taking into account the fact that the current temporary protection mechanism in the EU will be valid until March 2025.

In a conversation with Deutsche Welle, Stefanishina at the same time emphasized that there are no pleasant solutions in matters of war. “Let’s not forget that the war continues and we must win it,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

• Following the adoption of a new mobilization law in Ukraine earlier this month, the country’s authorities prohibited citizens of military age from obtaining passports from consular offices abroad and also limited their ability to obtain consular services.
• The Ukrainian government says that only men with valid military registration documents who have updated their details at territorial recruitment centers (TCCs) will have access to consular services. However, a mechanism for transmitting such information to Ukrainians abroad has not yet been developed.