Poland and Lithuania May Help Press Gang Ukrainians Into Kiev Regime's Military
20240425
Two Eastern European countries appear poised to help Kiev round up military-age Ukrainians who fled abroad and have them press-ganged into the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, if recent statements by their respective defense ministers are any indication.
"We have suggested for a long time that we can help the Ukrainian side ensure that people subject to compulsive military service go to Ukraine," Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Wednesday.
He also suggested that the option of facilitating the transportation of Ukrainian draftees from Poland to Ukraine is on the table.
The next day, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas lamented that "Ukraine is very short of mobilization reserve," and that his country may follow Poland's example in handling over the Ukrainian refugees deemed fit for military service.
This development takes place as the Ukrainian military struggles to deal with a catastrophic shortage of soldiers.
With hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians already killed and maimed on the battlefields of the conflict, the number of Ukrainians willing to fight for the regime has dwindled rapidly.
As Kiev has since essentially resorted to press-ganging people into military service, the Foreign Ministry recently announced the suspension of consular services for military-age Ukrainians abroad who try to avoid draft.
© Sputnik
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