Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba defended the policy earlier this week.
He said: “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.”
Oleksandr Pavlichenko, acting head of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, said the policy could have big ramifications for Ukrainians living abroad.
He said: “In some countries, Ukrainians will begin to lose their legal status as persons under protection. They will have to apply for refugee status.”
Ukrainian military medic Alina Mykhailova said in a post on Facebook: “No one had been talking about justice for servicemen in our country for a long time. But here it is, at least some small percentage of it.
“No one sent us there either, but for some reason, we are there. If you don’t like it, give up your citizenship and go to hell.”
It’s about time someone demanded accountability from those who choose to enjoy the privileges of a state without fulfilling their duties to it. This policy may seem harsh, but in times of war, sacrifices must be made by all citizens for the greater good.
Oleksandr Pavlichenko is right. The new conscription policy could seriously impact Ukrainians living abroad. It’s understandable to expect all citizens to fulfill their duties to their homeland, but the potential consequences for those abroad need to be carefully considered.