In Germany, men aged 17 to 45 obliged to obtain permit to travel abroad for long period of time - media

A new rule came into effect in Germany on January 1: all men aged 17 to 45 are required to obtain permission from the Bundeswehr Career Center if they plan to leave the country for more than three months.

It  was reported by the portal of the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.

The requirement is enshrined in the new version of Article 2 of the law on military duty, the newspaper clarifies. Previously, the obligation to obtain a permit for a long stay abroad was valid only in two exceptional cases - in a tense situation or in case of defense.

Frankfurter Rundschau notes that the implementation of the innovation in practice raises questions, especially given that most men under the age of 45 may not even be aware of the existence of such a regulation.

A source in the German Ministry of Defense explained to Ippen.Media that the purpose of the event is to create an up-to-date military register "in case of need." Officially, the Bundeswehr said that travel permits should be issued, but the consequences of their absence have not yet been determined.

Against this background, Germany became the first NATO country to invite Ukrainian military instructors to prepare its army for a possible russian attack. The commander of the German army, Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, has stated this. According to him, a corresponding agreement was reached between Berlin and Kyiv in February.

According to Reuters, this marks a change in roles: if earlier Western troops trained Ukrainian forces, now Ukrainian instructors will pass on the combat experience gained in the fight against russian aggression.

"The Ukrainian military is currently ⁠the only one in the world with frontline experience against Russia," Freuding emphasized.

According to his estimates, the initial contingent of instructors is likely to be several dozen people who will train the German military in a number of areas over the course of several weeks. Freuding linked the need for such training to intelligence estimates that russia could be ready to attack NATO countries by 2029.

"We have no time - the enemy doesn't wait for ‌us ⁠to declare we're ready. So we have to use every possibility to prepare," the general said.