UKRAINE LEGAL UPDATE
2 September 2022
Government seems to back down from the idea of allowing men to get out of the country on bail, at least for now. But it will likely keep looking at ways to ease the ban on men leaving in wartime.
Some time ago the government reportedly drafted conditions that would allow men to leave the country despite the general ban on departures. The requirements, in particular, included posting a money bond of about UAH 200,000, to be forfeited in case of a failure to return. The applicant would also have had to be sponsored by an employer. The allowed time of absence from the country would have been up to seven days.
The rules have not been passed so far, although it was expected they would be by September. For one, the procedure and the amounts involved have been criticized as arbitrary. Some also worry that the very idea of having to pay to get out of the country smacks of ransom.
On 24 February 2022 Ukraine declared martial law, which made it illegal for able-bodied men who are Ukrainian citizens to leave its territory. To accommodate those working or having other urgent business abroad, the government has been considering ways to relax the ban. Lately it has adopted a procedure allowing sailors to seek permission to go abroad for work on merchant ships.