Ukraine's General Staff does not expect men of military age to return from abroad – Ukrainian MP

Serhii Rakhmanin, MP from the Voice (Holos) party believes that the return of Ukrainians liable for military service from abroad is highly unlikely, as most of those who wanted to defend the country have already arrived, and the rest will try to avoid mobilisation.

Source: Serhii Rakhmanin, member of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Details: Rakhmanin noted that the issue of returning conscripts is complicated due to international agreements to which Ukraine has adhered, and without the willingness of relevant  countries to meet Kyiv halfway, it will be extremely difficult to solve the problem.

Quote: "Frankly speaking, I have spoken to representatives of the General Staff, and they do not really count on these people. They don't believe that they will be able to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine, even if a political decision is made. I think that today it is more talk than a realistic prospect.

Everyone who wants to defend Ukraine has already come from abroad. Those who have not come and will not come – they will find an opportunity to evade it."

Details: He also noted that it may be worth focusing on communicating with this group of citizens through the diaspora, diplomats and foreign politicians who support Ukraine, although Rakhmanin himself is somewhat sceptical.

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned to the authorities of Western states Ukrainians fled to with a request to send men of military age back to Ukraine but they did not agree.
• In early August, the Ministry of Defence reported that about 88,000 people liable for military service had updated their military records abroad.
• According to the UN Refugee Agency, about 5 million Ukrainians remain refugees in Western countries.

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