Estonia has no plan to extradite men liable for military service to Ukraine

Estonian Interior Minister, Lauri Läänemets, made the statement.

"It is important to emphasize unequivocally: neither my goal as Minister of the Interior nor the goal of the Estonian state is to drive Ukrainian men of mobilization age who live here to the front," he wrote in a letter to refugees.

The Minister emphasized that Ukrainians are a great support for the Estonian economy.

At the same time, if Ukraine asked Estonia for information about refugees of military age, it would be difficult to refuse. Refusing would mean turning your back on a country that is at war, noted Läänemets.

"However, it should be said that today (for the extradition of men liable for military service to Ukraine - ed.) we do not have such an opportunity under international law. This requires a separate agreement between the countries and at least a decision at the governmental level," the minister emphasized.

"Estonia will not expel anyone from here, nor will it work to send refugees who have found refuge here back to the front," he added.

• On December 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference summarizing the results of 2023 that the General Staff had asked for the mobilization of an additional 450,000-500,000 Ukrainians.
• Commenting on the president's statement, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine would like to draft men living in Germany and other European countries as refugees. At the same time, the Defense Ministry emphasized that the head of the department was not talking about the mechanism of conscription of Ukrainians in other countries, but about the need to convey to Ukrainians abroad how important it is for them to join the army.
• German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said that the authorities would not extradite men of military age to Ukraine. "It's hard for me to imagine how we can force people from other countries to serve with arms, given that, according to our constitution, German citizens are not obliged to do so against their will," he said.