Estonia is prepared to hand over men refugees to Ukraine but acknowledges it as a violation of human rights

The leader of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior restated his previous comment about Estonia’s ability to “locate and bring back” Ukrainian individuals to serve in the army if required by Kyiv.

Lauri Lähteenmäki emphasized that, according to international law, Estonia does not possess such a capacity. “My stance today remains: if Ukraine sought Estonia’s aid in mobilizing Ukrainian nationals living here, refusing would pose significant challenges. Essentially, it would mean turning our back on Ukraine.

However, currently, we lack the ability (to transfer men eligible for conscription to Ukraine) under international law. This necessitates a separate agreement between nations and, at a minimum, a governmental decision,” Lähteenmäki stated on social media.