Estonia is ready to send men of mobilization age to Ukraine. The country offered to conclude a corresponding agreement.
What Estonia offered
Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets said that if necessary, Estonia is ready to help Ukraine mobilise its citizens.
The Minister said that there are about 7,500 Ukrainian citizens of military age living in Estonia. He noted that many of them were exempt from mobilisation.
According to Ukrainian law, single parents, parents of at least three children, parents of disabled children and people who are caring for a loved one are also exempt from mobilisation. In other words, there are quite a few criteria for which a person is not subject to mobilisation, explained Laanemets.
According to the minister, according to international law, Ukraine cannot mobilise Ukrainians living in Estonia, as this requires an agreement between the states.
Laanemets intends to officially inform the Ukrainian authorities that if they want to conscript Ukrainian citizens in Estonia, Estonia is ready to conclude such an agreement with Ukraine.
Estonia will not stand aside. We are happy to conclude this agreement and help Ukraine. We have an idea of where these people live in Estonia. We are ready to help in bringing these people from Estonia to Ukraine if they need it," added the Minister of the Interior.
What preceded it
On 21 December, the German media outlet Welt, citing an interview with Defence Minister Rustam Umierov to WELT, Bild and Politico, wrote that Ukrainian men aged 25-60 living in Germany and other countries must report to the Ukrainian Armed Forces recruitment offices next year, otherwise they will face sanctions.
However, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine immediately denied this information.
They said that Rustem Umierov is currently only calling on all Ukrainians to join the AFU, but the issue of a mechanism of punishment or legal pressure on men who are outside Ukraine is not even being discussed.
Germany has already stated that it will not force Ukrainians to mobilise.
It should be added that the Department of Border and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior of Estonia has stated that it will not extradite Ukrainian refugees.
