‘These people have lost themselves’: The President’s Office stated that Ukraine will not process documents for men abroad

Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podoliak, commented on the situation regarding the refusal to provide consular services and issue passports to Ukrainians abroad. According to him, this is the state’s response to citizens’ refusal to fulfill their obligations to Ukraine.

Podoliak made these remarks during a televised marathon.

“There is a clear explanation that the service for remote receipt of certain documents has been suspended. This is normal. Remote service is a service, not an obligation of the state to provide. The state suspends this service because certain citizens have stopped fulfilling their obligations to the state. And this is normal, so I would advise taking it calmly. There is a clear position of the state: remote documents will not be issued. Please come and receive these documents in person,” Podoliak stated.

He believes that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, had the authority to issue such a decree and called for waiting for additional clarifications on how consular services will operate when the mobilization law comes into effect.

“Populist arguments like ‘we will protect people because we will lose them’ – these people have already lost themselves at this stage. Perhaps later they will realize what their native country means, what a country where you were born, where your parents were born, which in any case made you the person you are and they will return. But today, to talk about whether we are losing someone or not losing someone,” Podoliak emphasized.

Recall that the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution prohibiting the delivery of passports abroad.

This has caused outrage among Ukrainians at passport centers abroad.