Ukrainian diplomats are increasingly reluctant to return to Ukraine for fear of conscription.

More and more Ukrainian diplomats are deciding not to return home from their assignments abroad, writes Voice of Europe, citing the Ukrainian Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper. They say

since the beginning of 2022, at least 40-60% of diplomats have not returned from Ukrainian embassies abroad.

last year, around twenty embassy and consulate staff members from the United States were supposed to return to Ukraine, but only one of them came home. And from some embassies, no one returned at all.

The main factors influencing diplomats’ decisions are financial matters and established family life abroad. However, over a hundred diplomats who did return to Ukraine from long-term foreign assignments have been struggling to find positions in the central apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for months.

“This demotivates them, depriving them of the chance for career growth,” the publication writes.

Many diplomats whose families are abroad fear that they won’t be able to travel back to them after their return.

Another factor for refusing to return to Ukraine is the fear of conscription.

In Ukraine, conscripted men are constantly being called up and, after a short training period, they can find themselves on the front line almost immediately.

In addition, as V4NA has highlighted in a previous article, conscription officers will in some cases use every tool at their disposal, often forcibly snatching young men off the streets or the beach.

Ukrops on their regular recruitment drive #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/KgKqwVBMHd

— JeshuaRox (Comfortably/Numb) (@JeshuaRox) July 29, 2023

#Ukrainian recruitment officers fail to enroll any „volunteers” by the river side. #Ukraine #Zelensky #RussiaIsWinning #KievWillFall #Ukraine #NATOSummit #NATO #ukrainecounteroffensive #UkraineRussiaWar #RussiaWillWin #RussiaisATerroistState pic.twitter.com/yzjaRrjL3O

— AZ Red Scorpion (@azredscorpion) July 29, 2023