President allows five Slovaks to serve in Ukrainian army

Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová has so far considered 17 applications from Slovak citizens who expressed an interest in serving in the Ukrainian army. She gave permission in five cases, while rejecting the remaining 12 requests. This according to Jozef Matej, director of the communications department of the Office of the President (KP). According to Slovak law it is a criminal offense for any citizen to serve in a foreign army without the explicit permission of the Slovak president, unless he is also a citizen of that state, or unless that state is a member of an international organization that includes Slovakia and whose purpose is to ensure a common defense against attack. On a social network, however, Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka has pointed out that even with permission, service in a foreign army is a “debatable act, the appropriateness of which is questionable,” and that Slovak citizens should approach such a decision with “extreme caution.”