Ukraine: Information on the relationship between military service and citizenship and on whether Ukrainian citizens who refuse to take an oath of allegiance to the military are refused propiskas
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UKR13140 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ukraine: Information on the relationship between military service and citizenship and on whether Ukrainian citizens who refuse to take an oath of allegiance to the military are refused propiskas, 1 February 1993, UKR13140, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac1d10.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the attached Radio Free Europe report, "The Battle for the Black Sea Fleet," the Ukrainian Supreme Soviet on 6 December 1991 adopted laws on the armed forces (31 Jan. 1992, 53). A copy of this law is not currently available to the DIRB in Ottawa.
According to a consular officer at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ottawa, everybody who serves in the Ukrainian military must be a Ukrainian citizen (11 Feb. 1993).
According to a research analyst at the U.S. State Department who has just recently returned from Ukraine, those who were in the military prior to the introduction of the Ukrainian law on citizenship on 14 November 1991 were exempt from the citizenship requirement (11 Feb. 1993). Those who joined the military after the implementation of the citizenship law had to have Ukrainian citizenship (Ibid.). Ethnic Russians who were on the territory of Ukraine when the new military law came into force in December 1991 had to first take oath of allegiance, regardless of their citizenship, and then had to apply for Ukrainian citizenship through the Ukrainian authorities (Ibid.). In the case of ethnic Russians, obtaining Ukrainian citizenship did not take a long time (Ibid.). The same source explained that most ethnic Russians voted for Ukrainian independence and would like to stay in Ukraine and, therefore, are willing to swear an oath of allegiance to Ukraine. If ethnic Russians do not take oath of allegiance to Ukraine, they are required to leave. The source explained that in that case their only other choice would be to serve in the Russian military, where there is a possibility that they would be posted to the high arctic (Ibid.).
The consular officer at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington stated that a Ukranian citizen would be refused a propiska if he refused to take an oath of allegiance (11 Feb. 1993).
The research analyst at the U.S. State Department also stated that propiskas are still in use in Ukraine and that a refusal to serve in the Ukrainian military would result in the refusal of a propiska (11 Feb. 1993). The source added that there is a gap between what is legal and what is happening with respect to propiskas (Ibid.). Technically, those who refuse to take an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian military are given a grace period to arrange for a transfer to another state, most commonly to Russia (Ibid.).
References
Embassy of Ukraine, Ottawa. 11 February 1993. Telephone interview with consular officer. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 31 January 1992. Report on Eastern Europe [Munich]. Vol. 1, No. 5. Douglas L. Clarke. "The Battle for the Black Sea Fleet."
U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C. 11 February 1992. Telephone interview with research analyst.
Attachment
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 31 January 1992. Report on Eastern Europe [Munich]. Vol. 1, No. 5. Douglas L. Clarke. "The Battle for the Black Sea Fleet," p. 53.
