Ukrainian Men Blocked from Consular Services in Poland: Kyiv's New Directive Sparks Anger and Chaos
On Wednesday, hundreds of Ukrainians gathered outside a closed passport office in Warsaw, Poland, in protest against Kyiv's suspension of consular services for men aged 18 to 60.
The Ukrainian authorities announced the temporary blockage to encourage men to return home and bolster troop numbers amid ongoing fighting with Russia.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that staying abroad does not exempt citizens from their duties to the homeland.
The move was met with anger from Ukrainians in Poland, who felt unfairly targeted, particularly those who were already living in the country before the invasion.
The suspension of consular services is part of Kyiv's efforts to reinforce its army as soldiers face difficulties holding positions against Russia.
Maksym, a 38-year-old truck driver, and dozens of other Ukrainian residents in Warsaw were unable to collect their new passports due to unexpected issues at the passport office.
They had applied for the passports and traveled abroad legally, but were now being labeled as draft dodgers by the Ukrainian authorities.
Some had spent the night queuing up for the passports.
The passport office blamed a "technical error" for the problems, not the new directive from Kyiv.
A heated argument ensued when women accused a group of men of blocking the entrance and preventing others from submitting applications.
Pavlo Lyashenko, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, expressed frustration that he had received a text message saying his passport was ready but was now being withheld from him.
Overall, Ukrainian residents in Warsaw were facing difficulties in obtaining their passports, causing confusion and frustration.
A passport office in Warsaw, Poland, has suspended issuing new Ukrainian passports due to technical issues, according to the deputy director, Diana Petrenko.
The decision came as crowds gathered outside the office, with one man, Lyashenko, fearing he could be stranded without a valid passport.
The Polish police were called as a precaution, but did not intervene.
Ukraine's foreign ministry confirmed that only new applications were affected and that previous requests would still be processed.
Lyashenko, an entrepreneur who had left Ukraine before the war, expressed concern about being in a legal grey zone without a passport.
Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, most Ukrainian men have been banned from leaving the country, preventing them from applying for new passports.
This has led to hundreds of thousands of working-age men seeking refuge in EU countries.
The Ukrainian government's suspension of consular services is seen as an attempt to force men back to Ukraine, as they also recently passed a new mobilization law to increase army numbers and lowered the age limit for mobilization to 25.
The law also toughens penalties against draft dodgers and requires men to keep their military registration updated.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry announced a temporary suspension of consular services to address technical issues with the implementation of a new law.
A Ukrainian truck driver named Bogdan, who had traveled to Warsaw to pick up his passport, was left stranded for two days as a result.
He expressed frustration and confusion about the situation, questioning what steps he should take next to receive his documents, which he had already paid for.