Ukraine’s border guards handed Hasidic pilgrim with dual citizenship to police after Uman trip

Ukraine’s border guards removed a Hasidic pilgrim from a bus returning to Israel after the Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage in Uman and handed him to the National Police for further checks. The State Border Guard Service said the man holds Ukrainian as well as Israeli citizenship.

During the document check, officials found information that he was wanted. The border service stressed that it does not carry out mobilization directly at border checkpoints.

Reports that the man was drafted into the Ukrainian army were previously published by The Jerusalem Post. BBC News Ukraine said it was seeking explanations from the National Police and the Defense Ministry.

Reports of detention at the border

The Jerusalem Post reported that 49-year-old Jonathan Karlinsky Mashak was detained at the Ukrainian-Romanian border after celebrating Rosh Hashanah in Uman. The publication said he was born in Ukraine, moved to Israel about 14 years ago, lives in Jerusalem and has six children.

He was traveling on a Derech Tzadikim bus with an Israeli passport. His friend Nathan said border officials decided to check his documents after hearing him speak Ukrainian. The publication reported that he was later taken to Odesa for military conscription.

Citizenship and possible deferment

The State Border Guard Service rejected the description of the case as the mobilization of an Israeli citizen at the border, saying the detained man also has Ukrainian citizenship. It said foreign nationals are not checked for Ukrainian military registration when crossing the border.

Ukrainian authorities have previously said that, under martial law, men aged 25 to 60 are subject to mobilization, including Ukrainian citizens who hold passports from other countries. Under the mobilization law, a father of three minor children is entitled to a deferment.