The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is discussing the possibility of raising the age limit for men traveling abroad to 23-24 years. This was reported by MP Fedir Venislavskyi from the “Servant of the People” faction, who is a member of the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Proposed Changes Regarding Young Men’s Travel
According to Fedir Venislavskyi, a preliminary agreement has already been reached with various factions in parliament regarding the need to address this issue in the near future. The goal of the initiative is to maintain a connection with the youth who are leaving for abroad and to allow them to return to Ukraine without fearing restrictions.
“This issue is being discussed among MPs, including in our committee. There is a certain consensus agreement with various factions in parliament that this matter should be resolved soon, so that we do not lose our youth who go abroad and then cannot return, as there is a restriction we imposed during the introduction of martial law for those aged 18 to 60,” said Venislavskyi.
Why the Age Restriction Issue is Relevant
The idea is to not restrict the movement of Ukrainian citizens until they reach 23-24 years of age. This will allow Ukrainian students studying abroad to visit home more often and maintain a connection with their homeland, as well as prevent them from having to stay outside the country due to existing restrictions.
At the same time, Fedir Venislavskyi emphasized that the issue remains sensitive, as it is difficult to determine the optimal age limit for the right to travel.
According to Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, there is a trend of students leaving after 11th grade to study abroad, but it is not widespread.
It is worth noting that after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, martial law was introduced and general mobilization was announced. Since then, most men aged 18 to 60 have been prohibited from leaving the country.