Ukraine has stopped issuing passports to men of military age who live abroad.

Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, is making some changes to its passport issuing policies. According to an article from Ukrayinska Pravda, a popular Ukrainian online newspaper, the government has decided to temporarily suspend the issuance and renewal of passports for Ukrainian men living overseas who are of military age. This means that men between the ages of 18 and 60 who are qualified for military service will only be able to obtain passports while physically present in Ukraine. The Xinhua news agency also reported that this new rule will be in effect until May 18.

However, there are exceptions to this suspension. Ukrainian men who are currently allowed to travel outside of the country during times of martial law will still be able to receive passports outside of Ukraine. Before this change, Ukrainian men were able to obtain passports from Ukrainian embassies or from the state-owned passport service, Document of the State Migration Service. These options will no longer be available until the suspension is lifted.

This decision comes shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law to tighten military mobilisation rules. One of the main changes introduced by this law is the implementation of penalties for those who try to evade military service. These penalties even include restrictions on consular services, meaning that those who try to avoid military service may also have difficulties obtaining passports from Ukrainian embassies.

The importance of this policy change is highlighted by the fact that there are currently around 4.3 million Ukrainian citizens living in European Union countries, according to Eurostat. Of those 4.3 million, 860,000 are adult men who may be affected by this new rule. It is clear that the Ukrainian government is taking steps to ensure that all able-bodied men fulfill their duty to serve in the military, even if they are living outside of the country. It is yet to be seen how this change will affect the Ukrainian community living abroad, but for now, the government's focus is on strengthening its military forces.

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