There will be no forced return of Ukrainians from abroad - Stefanishyna

Ukraine will not forcibly return men of military age from abroad.

The Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna stated this in a comment to Deutsche Welle.

Thus, the Minister assured that the provision of one’s own data to territorial centers of recruitment and social support does not mean automatic mobilization to the front.

"Ukraine has adopted a law on mobilization and we must understand the extent to which we can replace men on the battlefield. We are talking about the potential of mobilization - accounting and information. And this is the primary goal of our decision," the Minister said.

The official said that in May, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ilva Johansson will visit Ukraine in order to discuss the further legal status of Ukrainians abroad, since the current temporary protection mechanism in the EU is valid until March 2025.

"Therefore, there will be no restrictions and forced return of citizens of Ukraine of any sex or age to the state that is fighting. But in matters of war there are no pleasant solutions and let's not forget that the war continues and we must win it," Stefanishyna added.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Dmytro Lazutkin said that the territorial recruitment and social support centers will not work abroad.

It was also reported that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 443 of April 23, 2024, which makes changes to the procedure for obtaining passport documents for men aged 18 to 60 years and who apply to the branches of the Document State Enterprise abroad.