In Germany, men are now required to obtain permission to travel abroad for an extended period
4 April 18:12
A new rule took effect in Germany on January 1: all men between the ages of 17 and 45 are required to obtain permission from the Bundeswehr Career Center if they plan to leave the country for more than three months.
This was reported by the Berliner Zeitung, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The requirement is enshrined in the new version of Article 2 of the Military Service Act, the publication notes. Previously, the obligation to obtain permission for a long-term stay abroad applied only in two exceptional cases—during a tense situation or when defense was necessary.
Frankfurter Rundschau notes that the practical implementation of this change raises questions, especially given that most men under the age of 45 may not even be aware of the existence of such a regulation. A source at Ippen.Media in the German Ministry of Defense explained that the goal of the measure is to create an up-to-date military registry “in case of need.” The Bundeswehr has officially stated that exit permits must be issued, though the consequences of failing to do so have not yet been determined.
Against this backdrop, Germany has become the first NATO country to invite Ukrainian military instructors to train its army for a possible Russian attack. This was announced by the commander of the German Army, Lieutenant General Christian Freuding. According to him, a corresponding agreement was reached between Berlin and Kyiv in February. As Reuters notes, this marks a shift in roles: whereas Western troops previously trained Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian instructors will now pass on the combat experience gained while fighting Russian aggression.
“Ukrainian military personnel are currently the only ones in the world with experience fighting on the front lines against Russia,” Freuding emphasized.
According to his estimates, the initial contingent of instructors will likely consist of several dozen people who, over the course of several weeks, will train German military personnel in a range of areas. Freiding linked the need for such training to intelligence assessments indicating that Russia could be ready to attack NATO countries as early as 2029.
