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Ukraine Restricts Consular Services For Conscription-Age Men Living Abroad.
Ukraine has moved to restrict consular services at its diplomatic missions for men of conscription age (18-60) who live abroad as Kyiv tries to increase troop levels in its fight to repel invading Russian forces.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on April 23 that he ordered the restrictions because "staying abroad does not relieve a citizen of his or her duties to the Homeland."
"As it looks like now, a man of conscription age goes abroad and shows his state that he does not care about its survival. He then comes back and wants to receive services from this state. It does not work this way. Our country is at war," Kuleba wrote.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians . For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here .
Kuleba added that he will clarify in the coming days the process of legally obtaining consular services in Ukraine's foreign diplomatic missions by men of conscription age as the law on mobilization signed by President Zelenskiy last week will come into force.
According to the law that Zelenskiy signed on April 16, all men between 18 and 60 years of age must update their draft data with military conscription centers across the country. Though lawmakers watered down some amendments to draft dodging, the law does allow for the punishment of those convicted of avoiding service. An unknown number of Ukrainian men fled the country after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 despite Kyiv's move to ban men of conscription age from leaving the country. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men working abroad as migrant laborers have also not returned to Ukraine as Russia continues its full-scale aggression against its neighbor. "The obligation to update one's documents with the conscription centers existed even before the new law on mobilization was passed. If anyone believes that while one person is fighting far away at the frontline and risking his or her life for this state, another can stay abroad and receive services from this state, well, this is not how it works," Kuleba added.
Ukraine's Central Bank Sets Largest Currency Liberalization Move Since Full-Scale Invasion.
Ukraine’s central bank (NBU) on May 3 introduced a package of measures easing currency restrictions for enterprises, the largest such move since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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U.S. Congressman, Wife Indicted On Conspiracy, Other Charges In Probe Into Azerbaijan Ties
Democratic U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges on May 3 in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into ties between American business leaders and the former Soviet rep...
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Turkey-Based Ingush Group Labeled 'Undesirable' in Russia.
The Russian Justice Ministry on May 3 added a Turkey-based group called the Committee for the Ingush Independence to its registry of "undesirable organizations."
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Zelenskiy Marks 800th Day Of Full-Scale Invasion As Russian Missiles Hit Civilian Sites.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy marked the 800th day since Russia’s full-scale invasion, saying “all Ukrainians" and allies must do everything to block the Kremlin’s plans, as authorities said Russian shelling killed at least three people ...
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U.S. Condemns Russian Intelligence Unit For Cyberattacks On European Targets
The United States has "strongly" condemned a series of cyberattcks it says were conducted by a unit of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) on several countries in Europe, including Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, and the Cze...
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Analysis: Is state aid for manufacturing and green tech helping China take the lead?.
China is providing nine times as much state aid for their manufacturers as developed economies in the OECD who are lagging behind when it comes to spending on green tech and manufacturing. The data are a critical part of the explanation for Chines...
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Prepared for War?: Is the UK's air defence ready for conflict?.
The next instalment of Sky News' Prepared For War? series looks at the UK’s hallowed out air defence. The RAF has nine frontline fighter squadrons compared with 30 in operation near the end of the Cold War. In the Navy, only three of the six destr...
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Birth trauma: Parents call for government action on maternity services.
A coroner is writing to all birth centres across London following the death of a new born baby, Finn Kennedy who was injured during labour at a birthing unit. A lack of monitoring and leadership by NHS midwives was highlighted at the inquest of ba...
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Counter-protesters threw fireworks, tear gas at encampment, UCLA student says.
Student journalist at UCLA, Dylan Winward, detailed the moment counter-protesters threw fireworks and tear gas at the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. Winward said counter-protesters did “not appear to be student led.” » Subscribe to NBC New...
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Live: View from UCLA campus as students protest the war in Gaza - DW News.
Police were called to several US colleges on Wednesday amid a wave of pro-Palestinian student protests. Around 300 people were taken into police custody at Columbia University and City College in New York, while clashes between rival groups of pro...
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Crackdown on pro-EU protests against 'foreign agents' law in Georgia - DW News.
Lawmakers in Georgia have approved a second reading of a controversial 'foreign agents' law. It requires media and civil groups that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as being under foreign influence. Protesters...
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