Ukraine said Tuesday that it was introducing measures to encourage the return of military-aged men as the army struggles to hold the front lines against Russia, partly because of deepening manpower shortages.

Kyiv has already adopted legislation to toughen penalties for draft dodgers and lowered the age of mobilization to 25.

"Staying abroad does not relieve a citizen of his or her duties to the homeland. That is why yesterday I ordered measures to restore fair attitudes toward men of conscription age in Ukraine and abroad. This will be fair," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"Soon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide further clarifications on the procedure for obtaining consular services within the legal framework for men of conscription age in foreign diplomatic missions," he said.

He did not specify what measures had already been introduced or were being considered. 

A document published by Ukrainian media, which was not confirmed by Kyiv, indicated the foreign ministry was suspending consular services for all Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60.

The published letter bearing the signature of First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga said Ukrainian representative offices would only issue documents to men abroad allowing them to return to Ukraine.

The move would likely oblige Ukrainian men to return from abroad to undergo a variety of administrative procedures that were previously available abroad.

Ukraine's passport office said Tuesday that it had halted issuing some documents in consulates abroad, citing "technical reasons".

The drastic measures, introduced more than two years into Russia's invasion, were met with some criticism and concern, with many public figures warning they would be counter-productive.  

"This will not make men who went abroad... to come back to Ukraine and to fight," Sergiy Petukhov, a former deputy justice minister, said on Facebook. 

Sergiy Fursa, an economist, described the measures as "revenge" and accused the government of acting out of "populism" that risks to "divide society". 

The head of the Helsinki Group's Ukraine branch, Oleksandr Pavlichenko, warned that the move could negatively impact Kyiv's reputation abroad. 

Outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces have in recent months been steadily ceding ground to Russian forces that recently captured the eastern town of Avdiivka and are now taking surrounding villages.