Migrant panic as Germany urges Ukraine to stop men fleeing war

Friedrich Merz and Volodymyr Zelensky (Image: Getty)

Germany's leader has urged Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the flow of young Ukrainians fleeing to the country. The Ukrainian President relaxed exit rules for young men under the age of 25 at the end of August.

Compulsory military conscription kicks in at 25 in Ukraine, but previously, all men between the ages of 18-60 were forbidden from leaving the country. The rule change has seen a major influx of Ukrainian men aged between 18-22 entering Germany, much to Berlin's dismay. Data from the German Interior Ministry shows that numbers have surged from 19 per week in mid-August to between 1,400 and 1,800 per week in October.

Germany has supplied Leopard tanks to Ukraine (Image: Getty)

Chancellor Friedrich Merz implored his Ukrainian counterpart to curb the flow in a recent phone conversation. He called on President Zelensky to ensure that young Ukrainians stayed in their country and helped defend it from the Russians.

“In a lengthy telephone conversation today, I asked the Ukrainian president to ensure that young men in particular from Ukraine do not come to Germany in large numbers — in increasing numbers — but that they serve their country,” he said on Thursday. “They are needed there.”

Members of Merz's ruling coalition are worried that public support for Kyiv might plummet if young Ukrainians were seen as avoiding military service by settling in Germany.

They also fear the issue may be exploited by the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is currently ahead in the polls. The AfD has criticised Germany's continued support for Kyiv and has also called for an end to welfare payments to Ukrainian refugees.

Some 490,000 Ukrainians of working-age currently receive long-term unemployment benefits in Germany, according to data from the country’s employment agency.

The German government is attempting to introduce legislation that would cut these benefits for the Ukrainian refugees.

“In Germany, the transfer payments for these refugees will be such that the incentives to work are greater than the incentives in the transfer system,” the Chancellor said.

Germany has been a staunch all to Ukraine, welcoming over 1.2 million refugees since the February 2022.

The EU country is also the biggest provider of military aid after the United States in absolute numbers.