Ukraine: Defense Minister Seeks to Conscript Ukrainians Living Abroad

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Facts

  • Military-aged Ukrainian men living abroad should return home and report to military enlistment centers or face potential repercussions, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told German media on Thursday. The comments come after earlier in the week, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it as a 'sensitive issue,' but said that Ukraine would need to mobilize an additional 450-500K people into the military next year.1
  • The Ukrainian leader has tasked Umerov and other military officials with formulating the plan for mobilizing such a high number of civilians. Zelenskyy also insisted that the plans included provisions for the rotation and demobilization of troops that had been fighting for almost two years.2
  • In the interview with Germany's Die Welt publication, Umerov said that Ukrainian men of fighting age abroad would be 'invited' to return home and enlist. 'We are still discussing what will happen if they don’t come voluntarily,' Umerov said.2
  • According to a November report from BBC Ukraine, citing figures from Eurostat, there are roughly 650K Ukrainian men aged 18 – 60 in Europe. Amid a Ukrainian ban on military-aged men leaving the country, it was not clear how many of those were there with valid exceptions such as caring for a family member with disabilities; reports earlier in the year revealed the existence of multiple draft evasion schemes — those involved often used falsified medical certificates to leave Ukraine.3
  • In a new development, Ukraine's Bureau of Investigations said on Thursday that it had uncovered a further scheme to avoid conscription — this time in the Zaporizhzhia region. Officials said that the head of a recruitment center and three accomplices offered draftees an all-inclusive 'service package' to secure an exemption, charging $2-3K per person. They added that 300 people successfully evaded conscription using this method.4
  • Meanwhile, amid shortages on the frontlines and difficulties recruiting new men after nearly two years of war, a number of publications — including the New York Times — have recently highlighted the increasingly aggressive tactics used by Ukrainian recruitment officers to replenish their ranks, including whisking men off the street using force. In some instances, men with disabilities and other exemptions were grabbed, triggering a number of legal cases.5

Sources: 1Ukrainska pravda, 2The kyiv independent, 3Yahoo news (a), 4Yahoo news (b) and 5New York Times.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Ukrainska pravda. Most Ukrainians stayed to protect their homelands and voluntarily took up arms to fight the Russians. However, a minority of people illegally left the country and shirked their responsibilities. Ukraine is now calling on them to do the honorable thing and return for the defense of their country against an existential threat. If they don't do so voluntarily, the state will have to enact certain measures.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Euronews. It's easy to sound noble and heroic — until one faces the harsh realities of war. Why should Ukrainian men sacrifice their lives and face a near-certain fate of death in fighting Russia, particularly when many are the sole breadwinners and providers for their families? It's vital to empathize with people who must make painful personal decisions about the perils of this conflict.

Predictions