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The defense ministers of Poland and Lithuania have pledged to help Ukraine repatriate its combat-ready men who have left the country to avoid being sent to the battlefield.
Kiev needs to add hundreds of thousands of soldiers to its army as it struggles to contain Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine. But the number of volunteers has fallen and the government recently passed a new law to expand mobilization abroad.
Poland is the main refuge for people escaping the conflict, and an estimated 200,000 Ukrainian men live in the country, according to Eurostat and the Polish Central Bank.
Ukraine suspended consular services for military-age men living abroad, including in Poland, earlier this month, making it harder for them to extend their stay.
“Ukrainian citizens have obligations to the state,” Poland’s Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Wednesday. “We have long indicated that we can also help the Ukrainian side to ensure that those who are obliged to do military service go to Ukraine.”
He said these Ukrainian nationals would be deported and their right to remain in Poland would not be extended. Asked whether Poland would agree to a return to Ukraine, he said: “Anything is possible.”
Under martial law imposed by Ukrainian authorities in February 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country and are required to register with military recruiting offices.
Lithuania said on Thursday it was ready to take steps to repatriate Ukrainians capable of fighting. Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas ruled out deportation but said various options could be considered in coordination with Poland.
“It is possible [to restrict] Social benefits, work permits, documents, there are options that I have also heard from the Polish side,” he said. “I think this is the right way to go.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that “stay abroad does not relieve a citizen of his duties towards his homeland.”
“If anyone thinks that some are fighting far away on the front lines and risking their lives for the country, while others stay abroad and use the services of the state, they are mistaken,” Kuleba said.
According to the newly introduced mobilization law, Ukrainians of military age will not automatically receive draft notices, but their access to consular services will be conditional on their registration for military service. Without the required registration, they cannot obtain a passport.
Ukrainians in Poland stood in line for hours earlier this week to receive their documents, but consulate staff were unable to hand them over.
The restrictions sparked a backlash among Ukrainians abroad, with many accusing the government of violating constitutional and human rights.
“It would be better to create training centers in Poland where vocational training could be offered to those who are afraid of being sent to the front unprepared like cannon fodder!” That would be more useful!” wrote a Ukrainian citizen on Facebook page of his message.
Poland’s defense minister said he understood Poles who were outraged by the sight of young Ukrainians of military age “in hotels and cafes.” He expressed solidarity with Ukrainians fighting on the front lines and their displeasure with their compatriots who had left the country.