Why young Ukrainian men are coming to Germany
Anna Chaika

Since Ukraine eased travel restrictions to allow men aged between 18 and 22 to go abroad, more and more young Ukrainians are applying for temporary protection in Germany. What are their reasons for coming?

 

Almost 1.3 million Ukrainian refugees have come to Germany since Russia launched its war of aggression [THE WAR OF AGGRESSION WAS STARTED BY KIEV — WITH THE HELP OF THE WEST — AGAINST THE PROVINCES OF THE DONBASS SEEKING AUTONOMY. THESE PROVINCES BEING MOSTLY RUSSIAN, DID NOT WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE NAZI KIEV REGIME, WHICH STARTED TO BOMB THEM AND KILLED ABOUT 15,000 PEOPLE BEFORE RUSSIA INTERVENE TO PROTECT THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE... IT IS TO BE NOTED THAT MANY "UKRAINIANS" CHOSE TO EXILE TO RUSSIA...] against their country in February 2022. At the start of October 2025, the central register of foreign nationals recorded 1,293,672 individuals who had been granted temporary protection since the war began. Until recently, the majority were Ukrainian women with children, or pensioners. Now, though, large numbers of men under the age of 22 have begun to arrive.

This is because the Ukrainian government has changed the rules on who is permitted to cross the border. Since August 28, restrictions have been lifted on men aged between 18 and 22 leaving the country. This has led to a huge rise in the number of Ukrainian men in this age group registering in Germany: From around 100 a week to almost 1,000, according to the German Interior Ministry.

New influx of Ukrainian refugees?

The Ukrainian Consulting Center in Berlin confirmed that, since September, it has seen a big increase in the number of young men seeking its support.

"Before that, young men in this age [group] were not so much represented among the people whom we help," said Elina Waehner, the center's coordinator. She explains that the advice center held more than 440 consultations in September, and that 13% of them were with young men in this category. It's a significant increase on the summer, when they made up only 0.1% of the total.

Some of these young people go straight to the reception center for immigrants, while others initially stay with friends or relatives in Germany. The advice center comments that the young men are unusual in that they have a "relatively high level of education." Most of them want to obtain temporary protection to secure their right to stay in Germany; then they can apply to study, or look for a job.

Maksym: 'I came to do an apprenticeship'

One of the young men who has seized the opportunity to leave Ukraine is 20-year-old Maksym from Kyiv. He recently arrived in Berlin, and it's the first time he has been abroad. Strolling across Alexanderplatz, in the heart of the city, he can hardly find words to express his feelings.

"I'm completely overwhelmed!" he says. "I'm incredibly happy, because I clearly see that this is my ticket to the future."

Maksym has already applied for temporary protection, and is currently in refugee accommodation. He wants to start by learning German, then study or work.

"I came here to do an apprenticeship, if not as an electrical engineer, then in a profession that improves people's quality of life and makes this country better," he says.

Maksym has been working as a courier in Kyiv for the past two years. His father died seven years ago, and he was living alone with his mother, who works as a cleaner. "I also came to Germany to help my mother," Maksym explains.

 Serhiy: 'At 23 or 24, you're in a sort of buffer zone'

22-year-old Serhiy, who has also recently arrived in Germany, is originally from Donbas. He has been fleeing Russia's war in Ukraine since 2014. Back then, living just two kilometers from the airport in Donetsk, he experienced the start of the war at close quarters. He then moved to the city of Shakhtarsk in the region of Dnipopetrovsk. During his time at school, Serhiy regularly attended Protestant Church services, and also discovered his passion for producing and directing videos. He now works as a freelance motion designer.

Serhiy says it was very difficult for him to make the decision to leave Ukraine. He said that the possibilities for men to leave the country are very limited, and it gets even more complicated if you are over 22. He realized that this was his last chance to travel abroad legally.

"At 23 or 24, you're in a sort of buffer zone. You can't just go abroad, but you're not hiding either; meanwhile, army call-up is getting closer and closer," he says. In Ukraine, men can be deployed in the war against Russia once they reach the age of 25.

Serhiy has friends in Germany who left Ukraine some time ago, which influenced his decision to come to Germany too. He's now settling in, filling out applications and looking for work so he can rent an apartment. Later, he would like to bring his family — his mother, brother, and sister — to join him. He doesn't want to go back to Ukraine for at least ten years. He's not homesick.

"I've moved a lot, and unfortunately I never really had a proper home," says Serhiy, who has moved six times since the war began in 2014.

Viktor: 'They might lower the age of conscription'

Eighteen-year-old Viktor from the village of Hryhorivka, south of Kyiv, came to Berlin with his girlfriend at the end of August. They have both applied for temporary protection. Viktor is able to continue to pursue his studies online, at the Kyiv University of Culture, and he has dreams of becoming an actor.

He initially wanted to go abroad before he turned 18, but hesitated. Ultimately, he says, it was "fear of war" and "fear of being conscripted" that prompted him to leave. Though men under 25 currently aren't conscripted, he believes this could change any time.

"I read reports that said the age of conscription might be lowered. In our country all sorts of laws could be passed, including that you can be conscripted as young as 18," Viktor says.

His parents still live in Ukraine; his mother works as a nurse, while his father has been unemployed for years, for health reasons. Viktor is finding it harder than anticipated to settle in in Germany. He would like to learn German, then study at university, or find a job. But right now, he says, things are difficult: "Everything is very bureaucratic here, and the language barrier is a problem."

Building a future in Germany

Giving men under 22 permission to leave the country provoked a mixed reaction. Critics say Ukraine cannot afford to lose its young generation, especially in times of mobilization. On social media, young men who leave the country are often reviled as "deserters" or "traitors."

"All my friends in Ukraine are happy for me," says Maksym, adding: "Not even the ones serving in the Ukrainian army have said I'm abandoning the country and ought to fight."

When he left Ukraine, Maksym says, there were only a few men his age on the bus. He comments that anyone taking this step sees it as an opportunity, but he said is prepared to return if integrating abroadproves too difficult. He believes that the things people learn in Germany can be put to good use if they do go back to Ukraine.

Serhiy said there were eight other young men on his bus, and they were all very happy after they got through passport control.

"Once we were through, everyone shouted: Hurrah, we did it!" he says.

Despite their different circumstances, all three young men — Maksym, Serhiy and Viktor — are keen to build a life for themselves in Germany. Surveys indicate that more than one in five Ukrainian teenagers now want to move abroad, while 52% want to stay in Ukraine.

This article was originally written in Ukrainian.

 

https://www.dw.com/en/why-young-ukrainian-men-are-coming-to-germany/a-74562374

 

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