Kiev, 30 April 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine has no plans to force men of conscript age to return from abroad, a senior government official said on Tuesday, despite a shortage of soldiers needed on the front lines to fend off Russia's 26-month-old invasion.

"There will be no restrictions and no forced return of Ukrainian citizens of any gender or age to a country at war," said Olha Stefanishyna, the deputy prime minister responsible for European integration, in a commentary for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle on Tuesday.

However, she conceded that there are no "pleasant solutions" in matters of war. "Let's not forget that the war is ongoing and we have to win it!" she said.

With regard to Ukraine's recently tightened conscription regulations, she said that a registration with the District Armed Forces Replacement Office does not automatically mean a call-up. Stefanishyna said the new law was designed to help the Ukrainian government "understand the extent to which we can replace the guys on the front line."

The army is having increasing problems recruiting new soldiers.

Men between the ages of 18 and 60 who are liable for military service are only allowed to leave the country under exceptional circumstances. Despite this, several hundred thousand conscripts from Ukraine are registered as refugees in the European Union alone.

In response, last week the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry banned the issuing of new travel documents to these men.

A law coming into force on May 18 also obliges all Ukrainians liable for military service to renew their personal information in the military register within two months. Ukrainians living abroad will then only receive consular services on presentation of a current military service pass, and Ukrainian consulates will only issue documents to non-registered men for the purpose of their return journey.

Photo: EPA