Men aged between 18 and 60 holding dual citizenship of Ukraine and the United States are no longer permitted to leave Ukraine, following a warning issued by the US Embassy in Ukraine.
The new decision, confirmed through a statement by the US Embassy in Ukraine, has become effective since the beginning of this month, VisaGuide.World reports.
Previously, dual US-Ukrainian citizens in this group could enter and then depart Ukraine if they had deregistered their Ukrainian residency and registered their U.S. residency. According to our information, this exception was revoked as of June 1.
Through a statement, the Embassy said that Ukrainian law does not recognize dual citizenship, therefore, US-Ukrainian dual citizens are treated only as Ukrainian citizens while in Ukraine and are subject to the rights and obligations of Ukrainian citizens.
The Embassy said that it is limited in the ability to influence Ukrainian law, taking also into account the application of material and law as well as the mobilization law to Ukrainian citizens.
The US Embassy urged those in Ukraine who cannot leave the country to shelter in a place and obey all local orders.
If you are not currently in Ukraine, we strongly recommend against all travel to Ukraine by U.S. citizen males aged 18 to 60 who also have Ukrainian citizenship or a claim to Ukrainian citizenship and who do not wish to stay in Ukraine indefinitely.
US Continues to Advice Its Citizens Not to Travel to Ukraine
The US Embassy in Ukraine warned that there is an “extremely high risk” of them not being allowed to depart, even holding a US passport.
Representative of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andrijus Demchenko, told Politico that border guards consider Ukrainians with dual citizenship as conscripts who should defend the country.
Demchenko also stressed that Ukrainian men of conscription age who can provide valid evidence of permanent residence abroad were previously permitted to leave Ukraine.
However, due to changes in the legislation, this option has now been removed.
Following the current situation in Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion, the Department of State of the US continues to maintain the Level 4: Do Not Travel warning for Ukraine.
The State Department continues to warn that the security situation in Ukraine remains unpredictable, stressing that US citizens in Ukraine should stay vigilant and take all the needed measures to increase security awareness.