KYIV, Ukraine -- Even as Ukraine works to get much-needed arms from a huge U.S. aid package to the front line, its government is seeking to reverse the drain of its potential soldiers, announcing that men of conscription age will no longer be able to renew passports from outside Ukraine.

Ukraine’s foreign minister has doubled down on the government’s move to bolster the pool of fighting forces by cutting off consular services to conscription-age men outside the country

New guidance carries a clear message to men abroad who may be avoiding the draft: You don’t get the benefit of state services if you don’t join the fight.

In the wake of substantial casualties, Kuleba’s announcement signifies a strategic pivot to counter the numerical disadvantage against Russian forces by lowering the conscription age from 27 to 25 and compelling the return of men overseas through passport renewal restrictions.