German legislation does not allow Ukrainian citizens liable for military service to be expelled from the country. This was stated by German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann in an interview with the newspaper. Welt am Sonntag on Saturday, January 6th.
This is how he commented on the discussion of the new Ukrainian bill on mobilization, during which the Kyiv authorities want to enroll men of military age who had previously left the country into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“I understand the desire of the Ukrainian government to return Ukrainian men abroad to military service. The call is legal. But we will not be able to force anyone in Germany to serve abroad,” said the German minister, explaining this impossibility by the legislation in force in the country.
Moreover, in this regard, he added that he is generally skeptical about the idea of universal compulsory military service.
“To maintain civic equality and military justice, it is critical that the draft is not carried out arbitrarily,” Bushman said.
In addition, according to him, universal compulsory conscription into the armed forces will be fraught with an increase in the labor shortage in the labor market and will provoke mass discontent among the country's population.
Earlier, on December 28, Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets also pointed out the difficulties in the issue of returning Ukrainians to their homeland. He noted that he, as the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as the Estonian state as a whole, has no goal of starting to drive Ukrainian men of mobilization age living here to the front. However, Läänemets added, Ukrainians living in Estonia are still citizens of their country, and if the Ukrainian government decides to return them home through mobilization, then Tallinn will have to share information with Kiev about the location of such persons.
On December 26, the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a new bill on mobilization in the country. According to the document, it is proposed to eliminate conscript service as a type, and transfer all conscripts to the reserves. In addition, it is proposed to remove the category of limited suitability for military service, and all those already recognized as limitedly fit for military service will be required to undergo a medical examination again. In addition to this, Kyiv wants to introduce basic combined arms training for all Ukrainian citizens aged 18 to 25.
In the same month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukrainians aged 25 to 60 who currently live in Germany and other countries and are fit for military service should also join the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024.
Commenting on these statements in a conversation with Izvestia, political scientist and member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko pointed to the social problems accompanying the mobilization in Ukraine. According to the expert, the Ukrainian authorities are now trying to balance between two poles, on one of which is the need for mass tough mobilization, and on the other, they face the threat of mass public discontent, which could manifest itself, for example, during elections.
Martial law was introduced in Ukraine in February 2022 in connection with the start of a special military operation (SVO) of Russia to protect Donbass. At the same time, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a law on the general mobilization of citizens, according to which men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country. This summer, the country's authorities expanded the list of citizens subject to mobilization.
In addition, in September, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense issued an order on the basis of which they will mobilize men with limited fitness for military service. The department has made changes to the regulations on military medical examination in the Ukrainian army.
The SVO, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision to hold it was made against the backdrop of an aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military against civilians in Donbass.
#Germany #pointed #obstacles #extraditing #Ukrainians #serve #Armed #Forces #Ukraine
