Slovakia set for new legislation on fighting in Ukraine

Slovakia is preparing changes in legislation that will address the actions of its citizens involved in fighting on the side of separatists in Ukraine, the Justice Ministry announced on Thursday. Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák says that a working group led by the Justice Ministry will offer solutions to this issue. Lajčák views the involvement of Slovak citizens in the conflict in Ukraine as irresponsible and says that they bring great shame upon Slovakia. "It turns out that in our legal system we have addressed cases in which our people fight in foreign military units, but we don't consider it when they fight in irregular, random groupings," said Lajčák on Wednesday (June 10) after a Government session on the working group's project. The Justice Ministry confirmed Lajčák's statement. "The issue has been the subject of in-depth discussions at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in which all relevant entities have taken part. Based on the results of these negotiations, the Justice Ministry is currently finalising a proposal that will be subject to further discussion," said ministry spokesperson Alexandra Donevova. At the moment there is no unanimous agreement on whether the actions of Slovaks taking part in military operations in Ukraine on the side of the separatists constitute a crime. According to Lajčák, their conduct doesn't match elements of the crime of serving in a foreign army, but Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák has the opposite view. Kaliňák said that the identification of the people fighting in Ukraine is under way.