– He tries to reach Moldova on an inflatable mattress
A man spent a fortune hoping to leave his country,
Posted today at 4:56 p.m.
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The State Border Service of Ukraine announced Wednesday having arrested an individual who was trying to reach Moldova by crossing the Dniester River on an inflatable mattress. Lying on his stomach and in street clothes, the 39-year-old man used his arms to move forward. The border service spotted him using a drone, then joined him by boat, according to the press release.
Border authorities said the man contacted a person on a messaging app to arrange the attempted crossing. The cost of the operation would amount to $4,200, according to him. Authorities said the money was intended for instructions on how to use the mattress and how to store a cell phone and a change of clothes.
New law on mobilization
Ukraine, which has suffered a Russian invasion for two years, is in dire need of soldiers, especially since kyiv expects Moscow to launch a new offensive in the coming weeks or months.
kyiv bans men of fighting age from traveling abroad with few exceptions. But according to media estimates, tens of thousands of men have fled the country illegally to avoid going to the front.
Ukraine, which is seeking to bring back its citizens of fighting age, will no longer issue passports abroad to men aged 18 to 60, according to a text published by the government on Wednesday.
For the men concerned, the transfer of passports to a “subdivision or a Ukrainian diplomatic mission abroad with a view to organizing their issuance is not carried out”, according to this provision. They could therefore only obtain them in Ukraine, and not in foreign countries as is normally possible.
This new rule, the precise contours of which remain unclear, does not however apply to people already authorized to cross the border under certain exceptions, for example linked to a disability or to the support of orphans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the procedure of the consular service “remains unchanged”. This seems to indicate that men with current military documents will be able to obtain passports when a new law on mobilization will come into force.
On Tuesday, this ministry announced the suspension of its consular services for men aged 18 to 60 living abroad.
Only the issuance of “identity cards to return to Ukraine” is maintained for this category of men, indicated Ukrainian diplomacy.
The authorities recently adopted a law on mobilization aimed at toughening punishments for recalcitrants. They also lowered the age of mobilization from 27 to 25 years.
AFP/MCO
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