Kyiv Considers Calling Up Men Living Abroad For Military Service

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has told foreign media that Ukraine next year plans to mobilize Ukrainian men between 25 and 60 who reside abroad. Umerov said those who fail to heed the mobilization call when summoned will face unspecified sanctions. Meanwhile, Defense Ministry spokesman Illarion Pavlyuk told the Babel website that Umerov only intended to send a message to Ukrainians abroad about the importance of their joining Kyiv's struggle to repel Russia's invasion, adding that specific mechanisms to recruit Ukrainian expats are not under discussion yet. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the Ukrainian military needs up to half a million people more. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.