Culture Ministry to suspend issuing recommendation letters for journalists, artists to travel abroad
The Culture Ministry will temporarily halt issuing recommendation letters for draft-age male journalists and culture professionals for traveling abroad pending a legislative review, the ministry said on Feb. 26.
The measure, which will take effect on March 3, comes in response to cases where men used these permits to stay abroad longer than permitted.
Men aged 18-60 are not permitted to travel abroad under martial law, instituted at the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, without special permission.
Journalists and culture workers were allowed to travel abroad temporarily for professional purposes, provided they had the necessary documentation and a letter issued by the Culture Ministry. Multiple abuses of this rule were reported throughout the full-scale war, with men staying abroad beyond the permitted period or indefinitely.
In response, the Culture Ministry submitted a draft amendment to regulate the requirements for granting permits. The suspension will be in place until the "legal settlement of this issue," the ministry said.
Manpower shortage has been described as a key challenge for the Ukrainian Armed Forces as the full-scale war with Russia entered its fourth year. Thousands of draft-age men have crossed or sought to cross the border illegally to avoid mobilization, deepening the crisis.
