Ukrainian men in the Netherlands worry about the consequences of the mobilization law

NOS News•today, 7:59 PM

Ukrainian men in the Netherlands are concerned about the consequences of the new mobilization law in Ukraine. From May 18, men between the ages of 18 and 60 can no longer apply for a passport or ID at the Ukrainian consulate.

They are only helped if they want to return to Ukraine. The government in Kyiv decided this last week, in the hope of motivating fellow countrymen who fled to come back and fight in the army. The country is facing a shortage of soldiers to fight against Russia.

Last week there were long lines outside the Ukrainian consulate in Berlin, Warsaw and Prague. Hundreds of men hoped to get a passport or ID.

Usually this was in vain and they were not helped. A number of Ukrainians became angry or emotional. “They won’t let me in because they’re afraid I won’t leave until I get my passport,” a man in line in Warsaw told the AFP news agency.

The queues also included Ukrainians residing in the Netherlands, because the consulate in the Netherlands has not been renewing passports for a year. 28-year-old Vladimir traveled to Berlin to apply for a passport.

Last week his papers were stolen in the subway. “I have nothing left,” he says. He had to stand in a long line for hours, but no one was helped. “I can no longer prove that I reside in the Netherlands, nor can I apply for a new passport.”

He has to travel abroad a lot for his work. He no longer dares to do that, for fear that the police will stop him. He also prefers to avoid the police in the Netherlands. “I feel stateless.”

Since the measure came into effect, he would have to go to Ukraine for a new passport. “They’ll never let me go there again.” he says. He absolutely does not want to join the army. “I’ve seen enough people die for a war they never chose.”

21-year-old Herman says that his passport is still valid for a few years. “But I’m worried. I fled to avoid dying, but now I can’t get a new driver’s license and passport.”

As long as the war lasts, Ukrainians in the Netherlands will not receive a residence permit, but a sticker, which they must show together with their passport when the police ask for it. Then they have a so-called protected status. The Ministry of Justice and Security is now investigating what it means for Ukrainians if they no longer have a valid passport.

Not only people who moved abroad during the war are affected by the legislation. “Some Ukrainians left the country as early as 1990, or 2000,” Polish political scientist and historian Łukasz Adamski told Radio Free Europe. “This law should only apply to Ukrainians who left the country illegally.”

The measure came a week after President Zelensky signed a new law that should provide more manpower for the army. This mobilization law stipulates that 25 and 26 year olds can now also be called up for military service. Previously, military service was compulsory from the age of 27.

In Ukraine itself, opinions about the mobilization law are divided. Part of the population understands that men living abroad do not want to join the army. But another part thinks it is unfair that men in Ukraine have no choice and men abroad do.

In a post on https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1782698925100589223 Foreign Minister Koeleba describes the new measure as “fair treatment”. “A stay abroad does not release a citizen from his or her obligations to the home country.”