Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová has approved the participation of seven Slovaks in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: Martin Strizhinets, the press secretary for the president of Slovakia to Slovak media outlet Pravda, reports European Pravda

"As of Monday, 9 January, the president had issued a total of 26 decisions, seven on permission to serve in foreign troops and 19 on refusal," he said. For security reasons, the Office of the Slovak President does not disclose information about these people and the reasons for their appeal.

Slovakia imposes criminal penalties for unauthorised entry into the ranks of a foreign army ranging from two to eight years in prison and five to ten years under martial law. This provision does not apply if a citizen has a second citizenship or is serving in a NATO member country.

At the same time, the law on conscription allows military service in the armed forces of a foreign state with the permission of the president.

But the procedure for obtaining such a permit is very long: first, a person needs to submit an application to the District Representative Office of the Ministry of Defenсe of Slovakia, which receives the conclusions of the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs, and then submits an application to the Office of the President. At the same time, such an application must be submitted no later than 90 days before the planned departure for service.

In addition, as Pravda recalls, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová clearly expressed neither support nor opposition to granting permits to serve in Ukraine's Armed Forces, merely highlighting the complexities of the process.

"The administrative process of considering such an application is multi-stage, extremely complex and lengthy. Our legislation is designed in such a way as not to facilitate service in foreign armies or foreign legions and does not allow such a permit to be issued as soon as possible. The government and parliament would have to change the legislation to make this possible," her press secretary Strizhinets explained in the spring of 2022.

Recall that a number of European countries, such as Denmark and Latvia, immediately allowed their citizens to take part in the service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Czech Republic has developed a scheme under which volunteers are granted amnesty by presidential decree upon returning home.

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