Hundreds of thousands of conscripts have fled Ukraine, often by risky routes. Now Kyiv is pushing for their return, and a new mobilisation law is planned, which could provoke even more fugitives from Ukraine, Der Spiegel reports.
Ukrainian sociologist Volodymyr Artyukh from Oxford University said in an interview with Der Spiegel that if the new mobilisation law is passed, more Ukrainians will flee abroad “at any cost”.
Kyiv has been pressuring EU authorities to create rules for their return of male refugees, but the Ukrainian authorities themselves deny this fact. Ukrainians living in Germany interviewed by Der Spiegel said they would not return to Ukraine while the war is going on under any circumstances.
Asked about the mobilisation law, Artyukh said:
Many men may go into hiding or leave the country at any cost. Thus, the law will have the opposite effect – flight instead of mobilisation for military service.
Vitaliy Shevchuk, one of the Ukrainians stationed in Germany, said he did not consider the men’s unwillingness to fight to be a betrayal. In his view, the “real betrayal” is to keep sending men into the conflict zone, knowing that tomorrow they could be killed. He stated:
If Ukraine had a chance to stand up to Russia, it’s now gone: It’s like a teenager stepping into the ring against Mike Tyson.
Since the end of last year, the Ukrainian parliament has been heatedly debating radical changes to the conscription system. The first draft law, submitted for consideration on 25 December, was withdrawn just two weeks later: some provisions, including penalties for evaders, including a ban on driving a car or buying real estate, drew widespread criticism.
A second draft law was passed in first reading on 7 February, but controversy again erupted over several provisions, including electronic summonses and the freezing of bank accounts of evaders. In addition, the new law would lower the draft age from 27 to 25 and expand the powers of military commissions.
