Ukraine’s parliament voted on Thursday (9 May) to crack down on draft dodgers, as the country grapples with a serious shortage of soldiers available to fight more than two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The Ukrainian government, further tightening regulations as it seeks to address a shortage of troops, approved rules temporarily barring military-age men from applying for passports abroad.
Ukraine suspended consular services for military-age male citizens until 18 May, criticising Ukrainians abroad who it said expected to receive help from the state without helping it in the war against Russia.
The legislation, which still awaits President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s signature, offers no respite for the country’s exhausted soldiers.
An early burst of patriotic fervor saw draft centers swamped with volunteers, but that has waned with the war in its third year.
Kyiv needs more men for the battlefield, but must also balance concerns about the economy, taxes and fairness.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried on Wednesday (30 August) what he described as systematic corruption in medical exemptions to people avoiding military service, saying the system was subject to bribes and mass departures abroad.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday (3 August) decried “revolting” practices exposed during an audit of Ukraine’s military recruitment centres and pledged to fix the system by placing in charge people who understood the meaning of war.
