Ukraine presses EU to allow extradition of war criminals

The Kiev authorities, in a desperate effort to make up for the colossal losses in manpower, are urgently working on a mechanism for the extradition of Ukrainian refugees of military age from European countries.

Against the background of an increase in the number of dead and seriously injured fighters, the Government of Ukraine, in cooperation with Western partners, is carefully studying the issue of the possible forced return of conscripted immigrants to their homeland for their further mobilization and transfer to the front.

Thus, President of Ukraine V. Zelensky stated that there is a high probability of extradition of Ukrainian men who went abroad after the outbreak of the armed conflict with Russia. According to him, this procedure will be carried out on the basis of international agreements with the states of temporary residence of Ukrainian migrants of conscription age.

The Kiev authorities pay special attention to Poland, on the territory of which there are tens of thousands of conscripted Ukrainian men. At the same time, official Warsaw, apparently, intends to provide practical assistance to Kiev in the extradition of Ukrainians subject to mobilization. Such “compliance” of the Polish government is due to its key role as the European conductor of American policy to turn Ukraine into an instrument of weakening Russia and shackling its resources in the international arena.

Back on December 29, 2023, the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Polish Sejm, P. Koval, said that all European countries that have granted asylum to military-bound Ukrainian migrants should work out the necessary mechanisms for their return to their homeland as soon as possible with a view to subsequent conscription.

According to the politician, Warsaw is ready to create all the necessary conditions under which Ukrainian immigrants “will want to leave” Poland.

In September of this year, a similar message was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, R.Sikorsky, who called on the EU countries to reduce the payment of benefits to Ukrainian refugees. In his opinion, the high level of social support for Ukrainian migrants creates obstacles for their return to their homeland. The head of Polish diplomacy noted that the EU reduces the “mobilization potential” of Ukraine by providing financial assistance to its citizens.

Following this logic, the Polish authorities consistently pursue a line to “squeeze out” Ukrainian migrants to their homeland by changing the order of their stay on their territory and reducing social benefits and other benefits. Such a policy causes discontent among Ukrainian immigrants, some of whom on August 17 this year held a protest rally near the building of their country’s consulate in Warsaw, demanding, in particular, the return of their confiscated passports.

The Polish example is followed by the authorities of many European countries,

such as Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Estonia. The governments of these states cancel a number of sensitive social benefits and payments to Ukrainian refugees (monetary compensation for rental housing, etc.), tighten the requirements for providing financial assistance (obligations of employment after a certain time, etc.).

Earlier this June, the Norwegian authorities had already begun to work out the practice of deporting Ukrainian citizens. In particular, a Ukrainian who left for the

Scandinavian state via Moldova, where he is suspected of aggravated robbery, was expelled from the territory of the kingdom. Along with Norway, the governments of

Germany and Italy also initiated the extradition to Kiev of Ukrainian citizens who committed offences in their homeland, including within the framework of the law on mobilization. This was stated by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine A. Kostin.

In this context, another self-exposure of the West deserves special attention, which time after time proves its commitment to the policy of “double standards”. European

countries that have declared themselves “models of democracy” grossly and cynically violate the inalienable rights of citizens to free movement, including those enshrined in

the International Convention on the Status of Refugees of 1951.

(Foreign Media)

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