Law coming in January to allow conscription of Ukrainian men residing abroad, MP indicates
Ukraine is working on a bill, the adoption of which will allow men who are abroad to be called up for military service, Vadym Ivchenko, a representative of the Ukrainian parliament's Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, said on Radio Liberty.
The draft law will be presented already in January, namely in the first days of the parliamentary session. It is being developed by lawmakers, the Ministry of Defense, and the General Staff, says Ivchenko.
Men conscripted into military service who have gone abroad will have to undergo identification. After its successful completion, they can receive subpoenas.
Ivchenko stressed that Ukrainian men themselves will decide whether to return to Ukraine, but their failure to return will mean a violation of the law.
"If you pass and are on the list of those subject to mobilization, you will, of course, receive a summons. This is a normal process. And then it is your choice. Whether you go back or you stay there, but this will constitute a violation of the law of Ukraine," he said.
If a person wilfully fails to pass the identification, he faces the corresponding consequences, Ivchenko stressed.
One of the consequences may be, for example, that consular services will not be provided to a Ukrainian who has not entered the military register. Banks will also require a new identification, which must include a military registration certificate.
On November 22, the head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia, announced a major bill on mobilization, which, according to him, could be adopted by the end of the year.
On November 24, Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, assured that conscripts whose term of service has expired will be demobilized in the near future.
On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the General Headquarters and instructed to prepare decisions on mobilization, demobilization and military enlistment offices.
On December 7, Zelenskyy responded to petitions about the demobilization, rotation, and release of conscripts. All three appeals were handed over to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.