Ukrainian men living in Scotland to be denied consular services - unless they sign up to fight in war against Russia

The new measures were announced by foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and will affect men aged 18 to 60 living abroad

Ukrainian men living in Scotland will not have the right to access consular services – unless they have draft papers which could allow them to be called up to fight in the war.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said consular services for men aged 18 to 60 living abroad would be suspended in a bid to crack down on people dodging the draft.

“Staying abroad does not relieve a citizen of his or her duties to the homeland,” he said. “That is why yesterday I ordered measures to restore fair attitudes toward men of conscription age in Ukraine and abroad. This will be fair.”

A Ukrainian serviceman walks past a recruiting poster in Kyiv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

The Ukrainian consulate in Edinburgh posted Mr Kuleba’s statement to its social media pages, sparking outrage from some Ukrainian citizens living in Scotland. After war broke out, Ukraine’s government banned men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country in case they were needed for the war effort.

As a result, the vast majority of refugees who sought shelter abroad were women and children. Some men were granted exemptions, such as if they were not physically fit to fight.

However, there were some who managed to leave the country before the decree was brought in or have left through other means.

"Male citizens of Ukraine aged 18 to 60 with valid military registration documents will have full access to consular services," a statement from the foreign ministry said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said men living abroad will no longer be able to access many consular services.

Documents which would allow men to return to Ukraine would still be available at consuls and embassies abroad under the new rules.

However, many other services which would have previously been available for them in the country in which they are living would now only be available if they return to Ukraine.

Some Ukrainians pointed out boys who left Ukraine at the start of the war over two years ago aged 16 or 17 had been allowed to leave as they were not old enough to serve in the military and were now working or studying in Scotland – but may now struggle to get consular services, as they had now turned 18.

One man wrote on the consulate’s Facebook page: “Why did you forbid children from receiving consular services? A bunch of 16-year-old children (certainly didn't have a military account then yet) forced out at the beginning of the war, now they are 17 or 18, they are studying in foreign educational institutions, have more rights than at home.”

Ukraine has recently passed a controversial new mobilisation Bill, due to come into force on May 18, that toughens penalties against men trying to avoid the draft – and requires them to keep their military registration up-to-date.

The Kyiv government has not published statistics of how many soldiers have been killed or injured since the Russian invasion began, but has acknowledged Ukraine is lacking manpower in its war against Russia. Vladimir Putin’s government has a huge army at its disposal, with Russia having a population many times the size of that of Ukraine.