Ukrainians Living In The UK Told To Register For Military Service

The UK consulate has announced that according to a recently adopted government decree, Ukrainians living abroad must register for military service.

Those seeking to reside in the country must sign up within a week of arriving, the consulate warned in a statement released on Wednesday.

The statement explained that the instruction is in response to numerous inquiries from Ukrainians residing in the country.

RT reports: According to the new rules, Ukrainian nationals must register for the military “in case of staying outside Ukraine for a period of more than three months,” the consulate stated. New arrivals must present at Ukrainian diplomatic institutions within a week of entering Britain, it added.

Currently, there are no penalties for avoiding military registration, the consulate stated, denying rumors that consular services are being withheld from people who do not sign up. The situation, however, could change if these provisions are included in the new mobilization law currently being considered by the Ukrainian parliament, it warned.

Previously, Batkivshchyna party MP Vadim Ivchenko, who sits on the parliamentary committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, warned that Ukrainians living abroad who have not registered for military service may end up being denied both consular and banking services under the new law. It remains unclear whether the provisions will be included in the new legislation, which is expected to be voted on in the first reading on Thursday.

The mobilization law was introduced in the Ukrainian parliament late last year. It proposes lowering the draft age from 27 to 25, eliminating exemptions for some categories of disabled people, and other measures to bolster the ranks of the military.