Ukrainian men under 24 who study in other countries may be allowed to cross the border
31 December 12:49
The Verkhovna Rada has registered Bill No. 12361 “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Regarding the Departure of Certain Categories of Citizens from Ukraine for Study”, which allows men under 24 years of age studying abroad to cross the border without hindrance. This is reported on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, Komersant ukrainskyi informs.
As stated in the explanatory note, the purpose of the bill is to preserve the ties of young people with Ukraine and their relatives living in Ukraine, to remove obstacles to education by providing an opportunity for persons who, in accordance with current legislation, have a deferral from being sent for basic military service and are not subject to military service during mobilization, to cross the state border without hindrance, namely, to travel outside Ukraine for study.
What is the rationale for adopting the draft law?
The authors of the draft law point out that at least 1.5 million males under the age of 24 are currently living outside Ukraine. At the same time, given the restrictions on the departure of young men who have reached the age of 18, the practice of teenagers under the age of 18 leaving Ukraine continues. Subsequently, such persons, even when studying in educational institutions, do not come to Ukraine for years to visit their relatives or friends, and once they arrive in Ukraine, despite the existing deferral from basic military service, they are unable to leave Ukraine for study, and as a result will be expelled from a foreign educational institution.
What is proposed by the draft law?
It is proposed to supplement the Law of Ukraine “On the Procedure for Departure from Ukraine and Entry into Ukraine of Citizens of Ukraine” with a new Article 14, which provides for the possibility of unimpeded border crossing (departure from Ukraine) for citizens of Ukraine under the age of 24 who are pursuing vocational (vocational-technical), professional pre-higher or higher education in full-time or dual forms of study in a foreign educational institution. This article also establishes an additional list of documents that such persons must present during border control. In order to prevent the possibility of creating obstacles to departure, the Laws of Ukraine “On Education”, “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law”, “On Military Duty and Military Service” are also amended. In addition, the final provisions of this draft law propose to develop a procedure for issuing military registration documents to persons who are legally abroad and have turned 17.
How many Ukrainian citizens are currently outside Ukraine?
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of December 16, 2024, more than 6.8 million Ukrainians were outside Ukraine, including more than 6.2 million in Europe.
At the same time, according to Eurostat data, as of November 30, 2024, approximately 4.27 million Ukrainians were granted temporary protection in the EU.
The main EU countries that received beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1,235,960 people; 28.9% of the total EU), Poland (955,110; 22.3%) and the Czech Republic (369,330; 8.6%).
Compared to October 2023, the largest absolute increase in the number of beneficiaries was observed in Germany (plus 20,595 or 1.7%), the Czech Republic (plus 4,880 or 1.3%) and Norway (plus 4,180 or 6.9%).
Among all EU countries, the number of beneficiaries slightly decreased in four countries, namely Poland (minus 5,510 or 0.6%), Italy (minus 160 or 0.1%), France (minus 125 or 0.2%), and Luxembourg (minus 15 or 0.4%).
At the same time, adult women accounted for almost half (46.3%) of the beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. Children accounted for almost a third (33.3%), while adult men made up just over a fifth (20.4%) of the total.
