European countries are once again refusing to extradite Ukrainian men to Kyiv

Following recent statements from Ukrainian officials, European governments are responding to inquiries about their plans regarding Ukrainian male refugees. Estonia, for instance, will not be repatriating Ukrainian citizens, according to Janek Mäggi, the head of the country’s migration department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“We have discussed this issue with the Ukrainian ambassador and he assured us that Ukraine did not request this. Ukraine has no legal grounds to request the extradition of these citizens from us, just as we have no grounds to extradite them,” the official told Postimees newspaper.

Recall that Ukrainian lawmakers are drafting legislation under which Ukrainian men abroad will be required to register for military service and then return to the front lines in Ukraine. Details are still unknown, but compelling them to do so is practically impossible. Men might simply ignore these requirements and European authorities stated months ago that such deportation would violate human rights and fundamentally impossible.