Germany to end automatic protection for Ukrainian men fleeing conscription

Germany will stop granting automatic temporary protection to Ukrainians fleeing conscription, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said.

Kiev imposed general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February of 2022, barring all able-bodied men aged 22 to 60 from leaving the country. Despite the restrictions, tens of thousands have crossed the border illegally and fled to the European Union. As of the spring of 2026, about 4.33 million Ukrainians were living under temporary protection across the bloc, including up to 1 million military-age men, according to Eurostat.

In an interview with Die Welt published on Saturday, Dobrindt said Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has succeeded in halting the unchecked immigration and would introduce further restrictions.

“Conscripted men from Ukraine will no longer fall under this Mass Influx Directive in the future,” the minister said.

He added that while “asylum is, of course, still possible in principle… fleeing military service is not grounds for asylum.”

Dobrindt described the change as politically “appropriate,” given the scale of Berlin’s support for Kiev.

Earlier this year, Merz also pledged to curb protections for Ukrainians fleeing the draft, arguing that young men were needed in their home country.

In June, the Czech Republic tightened temporary protection rules for military-age Ukrainian men. Denmark has also mulled denying temporary residence permits to Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 unless they have been exempted from military service.

Last week, the European Council agreed to stop granting temporary protection to newly arriving Ukrainians liable for military service from March of 2027. The European Commission said the move was intended to reflect Ukraine’s “evolving defense needs.”

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on EU member states to help return military-age men.

As casualties have mounted, Kiev has struggled to replenish its ranks. Draft officers have increasingly relied on heavy-handed mobilization raids, commonly dubbed ‘busification’. Videos circulating online regularly show officers seizing men in the streets and outside their homes, often using force against those who resist. The campaign has sparked violent clashes with civilians and, in some cases, riots.

Moscow has accused Kiev’s leaders and their Western backers of being willing to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”