Another EU state could help Kiev repatriate military-age men
Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas has acknowledged that Ukraine is “very short of mobilization reserves,” after Kiev suspended the issuing of passports for conscription-age men residing abroad.
Ukraine has barred all men between the ages of 18 and 60 from receiving or renewing documents at consular offices, unless they are properly registered for mobilization. Poland's defense minister suggested on Wednesday that it could eventually help Kiev repatriate potential soldiers.
While Lithuania is not yet ready to introduce concrete measures on its own, it will closely follow the decisions adopted by its EU neighbor, Kasciunas told reporters in parliament on Thursday.
“The direction is right… but it is too early to say what measures this will transform into,” the minister said, noting that options could include limiting such persons’ access to “social benefits, work permits, documents.”
“Let’s wait and see what option they [Poland] will offer, maybe it will be suitable for Lithuania,” Kasciunas added. “Of course, no one will round up and send them to Ukraine – this will not happen.”
According to EU officials, an estimated 860,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age are living in the bloc. Kasciunas said “not many” of those are currently in Lithuania, but was unable to give an exact figure.
“Ukraine is very short of mobilization reserves… This is not fair to those citizens who are fighting for their country,” Kasciunas argued, echoing the words of his Polish counterpart, who argued that Ukrainian soldiers have “justified grievances against their peers who have scattered around the world.”
Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba claimed on Tuesday that the decision to strip Ukrainian men of their rights was “fair” and in line with controversial military mobilization reforms which President Vladimir Zelensky signed into law this month.
