Germany signals it could help Ukraine track down men of fighting age
Germany's foreign minister has suggested the country could assist Ukraine in identifying military-age men living in Germany under temporary protection status. The issue of Ukrainian men remaining abroad has long been discussed between Kyiv, Brussels and EU capitals.
About one million Ukrainian refugees have obtained temporary residence permits in Germany since Russia's full-scale invasion, roughly 450,000 of them men, according to official 2025 figures. Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, which bars men aged 25 to 60 who are eligible for military service from leaving the country.
Across the European Union, around 1.17 million adult Ukrainian men currently hold temporary protection status. Their presence outside Ukraine has been a recurring topic of discussion among Kyiv, Brussels and EU member states.
Growing pressure on Kyiv
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November last year to reduce the outflow of young men from Ukraine. In April this year, Zelenskyy acknowledged at a joint press conference with Merz that bringing back men of fighting age was "a matter of fairness."
In July, the EU excluded men of fighting age from its refugee protection scheme, citing Ukraine's "evolving military needs." The restriction applies only to new applicants and does not affect men already residing in the EU.
