Kyiv Denies Plans to Punish Ukrainian Men Abroad Who Don’t Sign Up to Serve in Military

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said that it has no current plans in place to sanction Ukrainian men who are living abroad and do not come to conscription office to join the army and help defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, Babel reported.

According to Babel, the head of the press and information department of the Ministry of Defense, Illarion Pavlyuk, said that the German publication Bild, “shifted the emphasis.”

“There are no discussions on the mechanisms of conscription into the ranks of the Armed Forces from abroad on the agenda,” Pavlyuk told Babel.

Rather, Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov spoke generally to journalists about recruiting and the need to convey to Ukrainians abroad how important it is for them to join the army.

Umerov stated that Ukrainians of conscription age, from 25 to 60 years old, may be asked to appear at conscription points to join the Armed Forces.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Umerov mentioned that Ukrainians abroad would be asked to sign up for service without mentioning penalties.