(Ottawa) A Ukrainian now living in Canada fears that a freeze on consular services for Ukrainians living abroad could put his future in jeopardy.
Mykyta Zakharchenko, 18, experienced two major conflicts in his home country before fleeing to Canada during the Russian invasion in 2022.
He recently graduated from high school, competes internationally as a rower, and is determined to study finance in a few years.
But his plans for the next few years could well be in jeopardy, as this week the Ukrainian foreign minister announced that Ukrainian men of fighting age living abroad would no longer be able to access consular services.
It’s part of an attempt by Kyiv to bring Ukrainian men eligible for military service home, where they can be drafted for the war effort.
Mr. Zakharchenko, who was only 16 years old when he arrived in Canada, testified that his passport is about to expire and that if he does not obtain another one, he may not be able to renew his Canadian visa or travel abroad.
“I celebrated my 18th birthday in Canada, so I can’t get a Ukrainian passport,” he explains in an interview.
To renew his documents, Mr. Zakharchenko would have to return to Ukraine, but once there he would be prohibited from leaving.
Martial law in force
Ukraine implemented martial law shortly after the Russian invasion began in February 2022. Men aged 18 to 60 are therefore prohibited from leaving the country due to military conscription.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry recently announced that access to consular services for men living abroad will end on May 18, the day several amendments to martial law come into effect.
An article of the bill adopted by the Ukrainian parliament will notably require that men be registered with an office in order to benefit from consular services.
Men living abroad should not be exempted from responsibility, argued Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
“Living abroad does not free a citizen from his duties,” argued Mr. Kuleba on the social network X.
“A man of fighting age goes abroad, demonstrating to his country that he does not care about its survival, but he wants to receive consular services from that same country. It doesn’t work like that,” he argued.
No news from the Canadian government
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how Ottawa will handle applications from Ukrainian men without valid passports.
“It makes no sense,” reacts Mr. Zakharchenko about the changes made by the Ukrainian government.
In his opinion, Kyiv’s strategy of bringing men back to Ukraine to fight will not work.
“What are people who lived in territories that are now occupied supposed to do? They have nothing left,” he says.
For his part, Mr. Zakharchenko wishes to stay in Canada in order to be able to provide for the financial needs of his family, who lives in Germany.
“I have to work,” he says, noting that he will work two jobs this summer so he can start saving so he can go to college in a few years. He is applying for permanent resident status to stay in Canada long term.
He hopes to return to Ukraine one day, but not at the risk of his future.
“I just want to be safe,” he says.
The Ukrainian embassy in Canada did not respond to request for comment.
reference: www.lapresse.ca