US warns its dual citizens will be stranded in Ukraine amid mobilization campaign – POLITICO

The U.S. Embassy advised dual nationals in the country to “shelter in place and obey local orders.” Those who fall into this category and are not currently in Ukraine are advised to stay away if they do not wish to stay indefinitely.

Kyiv does not recognize dual nationality, with Ukrainian passport holders normally required to give up their other nationalities, although enforcement of this rule is limited.

“This is probably just a codification of existing policy,” one Ukrainian-American citizen, requesting anonymity due to risks related to his citizenship status, told POLITICO.

“There were rumors almost immediately after the full-scale invasion started that dual citizens were being turned away from the border, so I think they’ve been doing that for a while,” he said. declared. “I suspect I would never have been allowed to leave, even before it was officially announced.”

Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the National Border Guard Service of Ukraine, explained that border guards were indeed treating Ukrainians with dual citizenship as Ukrainians who all must protect the country from Russian invasion.

“For example, at the border we repeatedly discovered male citizens of Ukraine who, at passport control, posed as foreigners,” Demchenko told POLITICO.

At the same time, Ukrainian men of conscription age, who had sufficient evidence to prove their permanent residence abroad, were previously allowed to travel outside Ukraine, Demchenko added.

“However, with the change in legislation, this opportunity for them is now also limited,” Demchenko said.