50% of men of draft age are ready to return to Ukraine, provided the issue of booking is resolved

Oleksiy Chernyshov on the right at the Conference on Ukraine's Restoration, June 11, 2024. Archive photo NikVesti

Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of National Unity of Ukraine Oleksii Chernyshov is confident that half of the draft-age men who went abroad are ready to return to Ukraine on the condition that the issue of reservations be resolved.

He stated this at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights. 

«50% of draft-age men are ready to return to Ukraine today without waiting for the end of the war if the issue of reservations is resolved. The war is not the factor that stops men from returning today. They are undoubtedly frightened by the issue of possible mobilization. Whether it is good or bad, we will evaluate this later, it is what it is,» he said.

He noted that the demographic situation in Ukraine is alarming, the country's population has decreased and currently stands at about 32 million. In his opinion, the war is the main factor of this problem, but not the only one. 

According to Chernyshov, the number of people who have gone abroad and also representatives of the diaspora may be equal to the current level of Ukraine's population.

 «We need to systematically encourage people to return home and also support those who stay abroad so that they feel they can come back home,» the minister added.

He announced that there will be «Hubs of Unity», which will operate abroad and provide employment services in Ukraine, as well as assistance with mobilization and the processing of military registration documents.

It should be noted that in early December, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Oleksii Chernyshov as Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of National Unity of Ukraine.