European nations are pushing back against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's calls to repatriate fighting-age male refugees to support the country's ongoing conflict with Russia.
Zelensky urged several European Union countries to deport men of military age back to Ukraine to reinforce its military both before and during the current counter-offensive. However, his request was unanimously rejected by EU member states.
The Ukrainian news outlet New Voice highlighted opposition from Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, citing labor shortages as a primary concern. (Related: EU scheming how to force Ukrainian men to return to Ukraine to die for Zelensky.)
In Poland and the Czech Republic, for instance, Ukrainians constitute a significant portion of the workforce in sectors like construction and transport, making these countries reluctant to send them back.
"Frankly speaking, many Czech companies depend on the skills and hard work of Ukrainian refugees. The construction industry, for example, would come to a complete halt without Ukrainian workers," Tomasz Prouza, head of a hospitality lobbying group in Czechia, told Bloomberg.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are currently over six million Ukrainian refugees, with an additional 400,000 expected to leave in 2024 due to ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Legal experts have warned that Poland and Lithuania could violate both EU and Ukrainian law if they assist Kyiv in repatriating Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 for mandatory military service.
According to Brandi Amiss-Towler, a scholar from Lincoln's Inn, Ukrainians protected under the EU's Temporary Protection Directive have the right to access accommodation, benefits, medical care, education and employment in EU countries, including Poland and Lithuania.
"If Poland and Lithuania fail to adhere to this directive, denying Ukrainian citizens these rights, they would be in breach of EU law," Amiss-Towler told Brussels Signal.
Poland, which currently hosts around 200,000 Ukrainian men within this age group, has indicated that it might not renew their right to stay and could potentially transport them back to Ukraine, according to Polish Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Lithuania, which has a smaller number of Ukrainian men, is considering restricting their access to social benefits, work permits and documents, but Minister of National Defense Laurynas Kasciunas has ruled out deportation.
Ukraine stepping up efforts to recruit men into the army
On April 23, Ukraine suspended consular services for men aged 18 to 60 living abroad, complicating their ability to remain overseas.
Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Volodymyr Viatrovych criticized the Ukrainian government's move as "openly illegal and exceptionally harmful." He highlighted that if Ukrainians abroad were denied access to accommodation, it could violate their human rights and the Ukrainian Constitution, specifically Article 47, which guarantees the right to housing even under martial law.
The new mobilization law, which was amended 4,000 times before being signed by Zelensky on April 17, has been highly contentious. Many had hoped it would allow soldiers who volunteered in February 2022 to return home after three years, but the final version removed provisions for demobilization.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed frustration with Ukrainian men residing abroad, stating on X (formerly Twitter), "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."
However, some Ukrainian men argue that they had been living in the EU before 2022. Viatrovych noted that until now, there has been no legal mechanism for Ukrainians abroad to register with the mobilization authorities, nor a requirement for them to do so.
Ukrainian MP Olena Khomenko added that it is unclear how or if these men will be able to register from overseas or undergo the required medical examinations.
Viatrovych also pointed out that many Ukrainians abroad have actively supported Ukraine by raising funds and awareness.
"Ukraine would not have such powerful political, financial, and military support from Western countries if it were not for the activity of foreign Ukrainians," he said. He emphasized that most would be reluctant to leave their jobs, studies and families for a sudden return to Ukraine.
Watch this short video showing growing opposition to Ukrainian efforts to recruit more troops.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
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