Certain Ukrainian men with dual US-Ukrainian citizenship between the ages of 18 and 60 will no longer be able to travel out of the country, the US Embassy in Ukraine announced on June 4, 2024.
The Ukrainian government reportedly eliminated the "residence abroad" exception that previously allowed certain Ukrainian males between 18 and 60 to leave the country as of June 1. American embassy officials advise men with dual citizenship not to leave the country.
Ukraine passed a hotly debated bill on mobilization this past April to bolster its armed forces. The country is facing a manpower shortage and has had to resort to punitive measures for those deemed to be dodging the draft.
With some exceptions, Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine during the war while martial law is in effect.
Kyiv does not recognize dual US-Ukrainian citizenship. Therefore, men with dual status are subject to the same mobilization measures as other Ukrainian citizens.
"Previously, dual U.S.-Ukrainian citizens in this group could enter and then depart Ukraine if they had deregistered their Ukrainian residency and registered their U.S. residency," the Embassay statement reads. "According to our information, this exception was revoked as of June 1."
In the weeks following the passage of the new mobilization law, Western countries with significant Ukrainian refugee populations have promised to help Ukraine address draft evasion.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on April 24 that "many Poles are outraged when they see young Ukrainian men in hotels and cafes, and they hear how much effort we have to make to help Ukraine." Warsaw had reportedly offered to help Ukraine identify refugees living in Poland who are under military obligation.
Back in November 2023, the BBC estimated that some 650,000 military-age Ukrainian men had left the country for the EU since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
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