A leading Polish newspaper, Rzeczpospolita, has predicted that European Union (EU) members may soon receive an influx of requests from Ukraine to extradite its military service-aged male citizens who are alleged to have bribed their way out of the country. The prediction is based on remarks made by David Arakhamia, who leads the parliamentary faction of President Vladimir Zelensky’s ruling party. Arakhamia claimed that Ukrainian men have spent millions of dollars to obtain fraudulent paperwork granting them exceptions from the draft and that Kiev would seek extradition in order to punish these individuals.
According to the Polish Border Guard, there are records of 79,754 Ukrainian men aged 18-60, who are believed to currently reside in Poland. Last year, Ukraine banned this category of men from leaving the country without a special waiver. While in some past cases, Poland has agreed to hand over Ukrainians to their government, particularly when they were involved in smuggling illegal immigrants, doubts remain about Kiev’s ability to handle the paperwork for requesting extraditions on a large scale, as well as Warsaw’s willingness to comply. The process of extradition is handled by the Polish justice system, which takes time. However, individuals targeted by a Kiev-issued international arrest warrant for bribery could face restricted travel options in Europe.
Last month, President Zelensky announced a crackdown on conscription chiefs following suspicions of bribery from draft-dodgers. In line with this, he recently dismissed Aleksey Reznikov as defense minister. Furthermore, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has also changed its standards for recruits. HIV positive individuals, those with hepatitis, and some types of mental illnesses are now considered eligible for military service.
The possibility of mass extradition requests from Ukraine has raised concerns about the impact on EU member states. As the Polish media points out, the process of handling these requests and the compliance of EU members is uncertain. It has been rare for Ukrainian men arriving in Poland to register as refugees, and each extradition case is a time-consuming process. However, those targeted by an international arrest warrant would face travel restrictions within Europe.
In conclusion, Ukraine may seek the extradition of its military-aged male citizens from EU countries who are suspected of bribing their way out of the country. While the exact impact of this is uncertain, it highlights concerns over the ability of Ukraine and EU member states to handle these extradition requests effectively.
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