US-Ukrainian dual citizens warned ‘against all travel’ as Kyiv cracks down on ‘draft dodgers’ – London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

The US embassy in Kyiv has issued a travel alert notice to those who are Ukrainian dual citizens advising “against all travel” to the country.

Kyiv has imposed a draft and all Ukrainians who have dual citizenship are now banned from leaving the country as those aged between 18 and 60 could be called up to the Armed Forces to fight.

Officials in Kyiv recently passed a new mobilisation law toughened up legal penalties for the “draft dodgers,” the Kyiv Post reported.

There is “an extremely high risk you will not be allowed” to leave Ukraine and could be forced to enlist into the Armed Forces.

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On 1 June this year US-Ukrainian dual citizens, however it is not known at this time if this will affect other citizens such as British or those from other NATO countries.

The US embassy warned that Ukraine law does not recognise dual citizenship as they are only recognised as Ukrainian citizens and therefore come under the laws of Kyiv which includes military conscription for fight in the war.

The US embassy website reads, “The US Embassy is limited in our ability to influence Ukrainian law, including the application of martial law and the mobilization law to Ukrainian citizens.

“If you are in Ukraine and cannot leave the country, shelter in place and obey all local orders.

“If you are not currently in Ukraine, we strongly recommend against all travel to Ukraine by US citizen males aged 18 to 60 who also have Ukrainian citizenship or a claim to Ukrainian citizenship and who do not wish to stay in Ukraine indefinitely.

“There is an extremely high risk you will not be allowed to depart, even with a US passport.”

Authorities in Kyiv lowered the fighting age to 18 as Ukraine has been desperately trying to find men to fight for their “homeland” for the past two years.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has imposed a ban on issuing new passports to those fighting aged men who are choosing to stay abroad instead for fighting for their “homeland.”

President Zelensky has made this move to stop men from fleeing Ukraine to do their patriotic duty and fight against Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said last week, “A man of conscription age went abroad, showed his state that he does not care about its survival, and then comes and wants to receive services from this state.

“It does not work this way. Our country is at war.

“If anyone believes that while someone is fighting far away at the front line and risking his or her life for this state, someone else is staying abroad but receiving services from this state, then this is not how it works.

“Staying abroad does not relieve a citizen of his or her duties to the homeland.”