Illarion Pavlyuk, head of the press and information department of the Ministry of Education and Science: “In the interview published yesterday with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, “the emphasis was shifted.”
The Ministry of Defense explained that Umerov’s call to Ukrainians abroad to defend their homeland did not contain “pressure”; now we are not talking about punishment or legal aspects. Pavlyuk emphasizes writes edition “UP”:
“The Minister calls on all citizens of Ukraine to join the Armed Forces, no matter where they are. Because you did not receive the summons, the threat to Ukraine has not disappeared. Does this apply to those Ukrainians who are abroad? Of course. Defending the country during war is constitutional “the responsibility of all citizens. If the question arose about the mechanism of punishment or legal pressure on those outside of Ukraine, then this is not on the agenda now.”
According to Palyuk, in Umerov’s interview “the emphasis was shifted,” and the conversation was about the need to convey to Ukrainians abroad how important it is for them to join the army. The Ministry of Defense stated that tasks related to recruiting, improving the mobilization mechanism, improving the training system, etc. – more than enough:
“However, once again about the important thing: a summons is just a message to a citizen that the state needs him for protection. From this point of view, it is surprising to wait for a personal invitation by the end of the second year of a full-scale invasion. Have you heard about the war in Ukraine? Consider yourself invited. Go already. Go, like all those who stood in queues at the military registration and enlistment offices in February 22.”
Let us remind you that yesterday our publication, citing material from Welt about an interview with Umerov, as well as the newspapers Bild and Politico, reported that Ukraine is planning conscript men from abroad into the army. The Ukrainian Defense Minister spoke of an “invitation”, but explained that there would be sanctions if those responsible did not show up: “We are still discussing what we should do if they do not do it voluntarily.”
In addition, the Ministry of Defense claims, Bild distorted Umerov’s words about “the liberation of Crimea in 2024.” An article in a German tabloid claimed that he believed Ukraine would liberate Russia-annexed Crimea in 2024. “I am 100 percent sure. This is our strategic goal,” the minister was quoted in the material.
In a comment to the Ukrainian publication Hromadske, Defense Ministry representative Pavlyuk said that the Bild publication had turned Umerov’s words around. In fact, the minister said: “Crimea will be liberated one hundred percent. This is our strategic goal.” Umerov did not claim that this could happen in 2024, the press service assures. They note that the journalist asked this question several times, but the Minister of Defense avoided making any precise forecasts with dates.
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