Lidiia Karpenko is a Ukrainian journalist living in Toronto and a member of PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile group.
Ukraine, which is struggling to reverse Russian gains in the gruelling war, is trying to boost its military manpower by pushing citizens abroad to enlist. While the urge to boost the fatigued Ukrainian military is understandable, the results of the new law might not have the impact the Ukrainian government hopes it will. While I understand the country’s desperate needs right now, I don’t think this policy will be effective in boosting our fortunes in the war.
In mid-April, the Ukrainian parliament passed a new mobilization bill stating that all men aged between 18 to 60 must provide their personal data to military recruitment centres, and there’s some skepticism that the online portal will be up and running soon. At the end of April, Ukrainian consulates around the world temporarily stopped providing services to military-age male citizens. They are not accepting applications for passport renewal or new passports, nor are they assisting with getting other documents, such as marriage........