Reaction of Ukrainian men in Poland to the regulation of forced repatriation to serve as soldiers

On April 24, hundreds of Ukrainians crowded in front of the closed passport office in Warsaw (Poland). They are angry that Ukraine temporarily suspended consular services, including issuing passports, for Ukrainian men of fighting age, in order to force them to return to Ukraine and increase the number of soldiers, according to AFP News Agency.

A day earlier, Ukrainian authorities announced that they would “temporarily” prevent men between 18 and 60 years old from accessing consular services, after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said these people were letting their compatriots fight. replace them on the front lines.

“Living abroad does not make a citizen’s duty to the Fatherland disappear,” Ukraine’s foreign minister wrote on X.

The above move is considered part of Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen the army, in the context that the country’s soldiers are trying to maintain positions against Russia on the battlefield.

But in Poland, many Ukrainians are angry because they feel they are being unfairly targeted. The country is home to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including refugees affected by the conflict and those who were already living in Poland when the conflict broke out.

“We weren’t asked why we went abroad. Why would I be considered a draft dodger if I went abroad legally?” – shared Mr. Maksym, a 38-year-old truck driver, one of dozens of people hoping to get a new passport for which they applied unsuccessfully.

Some people said they spent all night queuing. The office issuing passports to Ukrainians in Warsaw blamed a “technical error”, not a new directive from Kiev.

According to the newspaper The Kyiv Post, many videos circulating on social networks showed Ukrainian men (some sources said there were up to 300 people) gathering outside the passport office to express their protest. Some said they would stay until they received their passports.

Currently, there are hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians of military age living abroad. Meanwhile, Ukraine is facing a serious shortage of soldiers to deal with Russian forces, according to Reuters News Agency.