Montenegro Urged to Prevent Volunteer Fighters Going to Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers in Independence Square in Kyiv. Photo: EPA-EFE/ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE.

The Ukrainian embassy on Monday issued an appeal on its Facebook page for foreign citizens to help in Kyiv's fight against invading Russian forces, although the post was deleted after being republished by some media outlets.

"Such a call from the Ukrainian embassy is an obvious attempt to destabilise our country and the authorities must react. They must prevent Montenegrin citizens from fighting in foreign wars as this is also prohibited by law," the Democratic Front said in a press release.

Montenegro criminalised participation in foreign conflicts in March 2015, and those convicted face prison sentences of up to ten years.

According to the law, anyone found guilty of recruiting, organising, financing, encouraging, leading or training foreign fighters can be jailed for between two and ten years.

According to Interior Ministry data, some 31 Montenegrin citizens have fought in foreign wars since 2012 - of these, 26 fought alongside the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and five on the side of Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence said Ukraine has requested ammunition, army vests, armour and helmets, and said that officials will have a meeting with the Ukrainian embassy.

The Ministry of Capital Investment also announced that Montenegrin airspace will be shut down for Russian aircraft, as the country is joining European Union restrictions on Moscow.

On February 28, opposition parties and the Black on White bloc, which is also part of the ruling coalition, called on parliament to adopt a resolution on the Ukraine conflict, saying that the Peace is our Nation bloc, the third bloc in...