German states are resorting to tricks to send Ukrainian refugees to the front — Focus

Many federal states in Germany are resorting to tactics to force Ukrainian draft dodgers to return home.

This was reported by Focus.

Until now, their actions have gone unnoticed. The first commotion arose only last week when the government of Hesse stated in response to an inquiry from the Alternative for Germany (AfD):

“The immigration authorities of Hesse will not issue any German documents to Ukrainian men of conscription age to replace their foreign passports. It would be advisable for them to travel to Ukraine to obtain a passport and undergo mandatory military service there.”

Currently, Ukrainian men must travel to their homeland to renew their documents, where they are likely to be immediately conscripted into the army. This did not happen previously because federal states issued foreign passports to Ukrainians. This option is now no longer available — and not only in Hesse.

Siegfried Lorek, State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, confirmed that authorities in his state “no longer issue German travel documents to draft-age Ukrainian men.” Lorek, a CDU politician, believes it is reasonable for Ukrainians to complete their military service.

“There is no injustice being done to them — on the contrary, under Ukrainian law, they are subject to prosecution for desertion,” Lorek explained.

According to him, the government wants to continue supporting Ukraine by enhancing its ability to defend itself, which includes “encouraging citizens to defend their country.”

The Bavarian government also supports this approach.

Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann stated: “I have repeatedly called on the federal government to make reasonable clarifications regarding conscripted refugees from Ukraine. It is not only about whether we should issue documents to replace expired Ukrainian passports but also about whether our current rules undermine Ukraine’s defense capability.”