Shortage of soldiers
Mobilization appeal: Why Ukraine cannot force its men back into their country
Ukraine is missing around 450,000 to 500,000 soldiers
© Efrem Lukatsky/AP/DPA
Ukraine is missing up to 500,000 soldiers. Many men have fled abroad – and despite mobilization they cannot be forced into military service.
The Defense Ministry in Kiev appeals to Ukrainians abroad who have fled the war to return and defend their homeland as soldiers. A ministry spokesman told the Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraina in Kiev on Thursday. But there are no plans Men under pressure to be brought back from abroad and drafted, said spokesman Illarion Pavlyuk. He thereby clarified statements made by Defense Minister Rustem Umjerov about the mobilization of men abroad.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are registered as war refugees in Germany and other countries. Officially, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country that is defending itself against Russia’s war of aggression. But many manage to escape.
Ukraine appeals to citizens abroad
“The minister calls on all citizens of Ukraine to join the armed forces, wherever they are,” said Umyerov’s spokesman Pavlyuk. “Does this also affect Ukrainians who are abroad? Undoubtedly. Defending the country in time of war is the constitutional duty of all citizens.” At the same time, he said: “If it is about a sanctions mechanism or legal pressure on those who are outside Ukraine, then that is not on the agenda.”
War in Ukraine
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Ukraine’s problems in mobilizing soldiers to repel the Russian invasion will have no practical consequences for Ukrainians living in Germany, according to Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. “It will not be the case that we now force people to do conscription or military service against their will,” the FDP politician told the DPA news agency. It is good that the war refugees from Ukraine were accepted into Germany in an uncomplicated process and were given the opportunity to work. “We are trying to ensure that more people from Ukraine get into work and fewer end up living on citizens’ money,” he added.
Mobilization for up to 500,000 men
There is currently discussion in Ukraine about how the army can recruit more soldiers. The military wants to mobilize an additional 450,000 to 500,000 men. Anyone in Ukraine who does not comply with a summons to undergo a muster has already had to pay fines that start at 1,700 hryvnia (around 40 euros) and increase in the event of a repeat offense. When Ukrainians are mobilized abroad, the military authorities also face the problem of not having their addresses.