Ukraine Suspends Consular Services for Men of Fighting Age Abroad Amid Army Manpower Shortages
Ukraine suspended consular services for men between 18 and 60 living abroad, requiring them to return to undergo administrative procedures due to manpower shortages in the army fighting Russia.
The army has been struggling to hold frontlines since the invasion two years ago.
The foreign affairs ministry temporarily suspended new applications for consular services, except for documents allowing Ukrainians to return to Ukraine.
The government has already adopted a mobilization law, set to take effect on May 18, with tougher penalties against draft dodgers and mandatory military registration updates.
The Ukrainian ministry has announced that men with valid military registration documents will be allowed to access consular services once a new law takes effect.
This applies to Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60.
The law comes after men were forbidden from leaving the country due to the invasion, with some exceptions.
Thousands of men are estimated to have illegally fled the country before the war began.