The new ban on military-age Ukrainian men applying for consular services abroad is a temporary suspension and will not apply to those who have updated their military records, the Foreign Ministry said on April 30 as part of a clarification on recent changes.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said that there will be "no restrictions or forced return of Ukrainian citizens of any gender or age" back to Ukraine.
The Estonian Interior Ministry does not plan to conduct forced repatriation of Ukrainian refugees staying in Estonia, Anneli Viks, the ministry's advisor on citizenship and migration policy, said on April 30 in an interview with Estonian media outlet ERR.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte supported the idea that Vilnius should help Ukraine bring back its military-aged men living abroad, but after consultations with the EU and Kyiv, LRT reported on April 29.
More than 30 men have died while attempting to cross Ukraine's mountainous western border to evade mobilization, State Border Guard Service Head Andriy Demchenko said in an interview with Ukrinform published on April 29.
Returning men of draft age to Ukraine is "ethically ambiguous" and Ukraine will thus have to "take the in initiative" in the process, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with Polish channel TVN24 on April 27.
Ukrainian border guards found the bodies of two men in the Tysa River in Zakarpattia Oblast on the evening of April 27, the State Border Guard Service reported.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Dan Cisek said it is a "difficult question" but that the "government of Ukraine has the right to define its policy" on this issue.
Ukrainian refugees can get a temporary residence permit or prolong a valid one in Germany even if their passports are terminated, Deutsche Welle reported on April 25, citing a representative of the Berlin Senate.
Seventy-four percent of surveyed companies in Ukraine are experiencing a personnel shortage, according to a new study published by the European Business Association (EBA) on April 24.
Lithuania's Defense Minister, Laurynas Kasciunas, said he was closely watching his Polish counterparts who announced a similar stance on April 24, though did not specify exactly what measures would be taken.
Poland will help Ukraine bring its military-aged men back following new changes to passport and consular service laws for Ukrainian men living abroad, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on April 24.
The Ukrainian government has banned sending identification documents and passports abroad for Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60, according to a decree published on the Cabinet of Ministers' website on April 24.
Ukrainians have the highest readiness to fight for their country among other European countries, at 62% of the population, according to a survey by the Sociological Group Rating conducted in 2023 together with Gallup International and published on April 23.
The move comes a week after Ukraine finally passed a hotly debated bill on mobilization as the country seeks to bolster its armed forces.
Ukraine's military needs younger men not only because they are physically fitter than older men but also because they can master technology used on the battlefield faster, President Volodymyr Zelensky told French YouTuber Hugo Travers in an interview published on April 21.
Ukraine's bill on mobilization has been signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the online portal of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on April 16.
Ukraine's bill on mobilization has been submitted to President Volodymyr Zelensky for signature, according to the online portal of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on April 16.
Season 2 Episode 14 is dedicated to Ukraine’s struggles with mobilization. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell.
The planned rotation at the front continues, with "thousands" of Ukrainian soldiers released during the audit sent to combat units, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on April 12.
Key updates on April 11: * Russia launches large-scale attack across Ukraine, hitting energy infrastructure * Parliament passes mobilization bill in second reading * Mayor: Russia's war causes at least $2.9 billion in damages to Mykolaiv * Russian attack on Mykolaiv kills 4, injures 5 * Ground Forces: Heads of southern, eastern military commands
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed on April 11 the updated mobilization bill in its second reading, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said. The bill was supported by 283 lawmakers.
Key developments on April 10: * Parliament starts considering updated mobilization bill in 2nd reading * Germany delivers artillery shells, drones, armored vehicles to Ukraine * Russian attacks against Kharkiv, Odesa oblasts kill 7, including 2 children, injure 18 * Ukrainian military denies Russia gained foothold in Robotyne * UK government, BAE Systems sign agreements
Russia will attempt to recruit an additional 400,000 contract service personnel in 2024 to sustain its forces in Ukraine after severe losses in an all-out war, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry's intelligence report from April 10.
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed on April 10 in the first reading a bill permitting military service of citizens convicted of certain offenses, said lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko, one of the bill's authors.
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has begun the consideration of an updated mobilization bill in its second reading, lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said on April 10.
The parliament's National Security and Defense Committee finished reviewing all the amendments to a mobilization bill and removed provisions on demobilization and rotation of military personnel, lawmaker Oleksii Honcharenko said on April 9.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 9 that he ordered relevant ministries to introduce "updated, more fair" rules on exempting employees of "critically important" companies from military service.
"No matter how much help we get, how many weapons we have – we lack people," Ukraine's Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Pavliuk said.
The Odesa regional military enlistment office is looking into reports by local media of a 14-year-old boy detained by men in military uniforms, the office said on April 7. The men reportedly did not initially believe he was 14 but released him after seeing his passport.
In an April 6 interview with national broadcasters, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the 300,000 troops that Russia plans to mobilize by June wouldn't be the "final" draft.
Military enlistment offices will begin calling up citizens from the military register who have reached the age of 25 to provide personal data, undergo medical checks, and fill out relevant documents, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Force said.
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