About 1.3 million Ukrainian refugees have come to Germany since Russia launched an aggressive war against their country in February 2022. As of early October 2025, there were 1,293,672 individuals recorded in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals who had been granted temporary protection since the start of the war. Until recently, the majority were Ukrainian women with children or pensioners. However, now a large number of men under the age of 22 have started coming.
This is because the Ukrainian government changed the rules about who is allowed to cross the border. From 28 August, the ban on men aged 18 to 22 leaving the country has been lifted. This has led to a sharp increase in the number of Ukrainian men in this age group registering in Germany: from about 100 to almost 1,000 per week, according to the German Interior Ministry.
New influx of Ukrainian refugees?
The Ukrainian Counseling Center in Berlin confirmed that, since September, it has seen a large increase in the number of young people seeking support.
“Before that, young men at this age [group] There wasn’t that much representation among the people we help,” said Alina Wehner, the center’s coordinator. She explains that the advice center organized more than 440 consultations in September, and 13% of them were with this category of young men. This is a significant increase from the summer, when they were only 0.1% of the total.
Some of these young people go straight to a reception center for immigrants, while others initially live with friends or relatives in Germany. The advice center comments that the young men are unusual in that they have “relatively high levels of education”. Most of them want to obtain temporary protection to secure their right to remain in Germany; They can then apply to study, or look for a job.
Maxim: ‘I came to do an apprenticeship’
One of the young people who took advantage of the opportunity to leave Ukraine is 20-year-old Maxim from Kiev. He recently arrived in Berlin, and this is the first time he has been abroad. Walking across AlexanderPlatz in the center of the city, she can barely find words to express her feelings.
“I’m completely overwhelmed!” He says. “I’m incredibly happy, because I clearly see that this is my ticket to the future.”
Maxim has already applied for temporary protection, and is currently in refugee accommodation. He wants to start by learning German, then study or work.
“I came here to apprentice, if not as an electrical engineer, then in a profession that improves people’s quality of life and makes this country better,” he says.
Maxim has been working as a courier in Kiev for the past two years. His father died seven years ago, and he lives alone with his mother, who works as a cleaning lady. “I also came to Germany to help my mother,” Maxim explains.
Serhiy: ‘At 23 or 24, you are in a kind of buffer zone’
Serhiy, 22, who recently arrived in Germany, is originally from Donbass. He has been fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2014. At that time, living just two kilometers from the airport in Donetsk, he experienced the beginning of the war up close. He then moved to the city of Shakhtarsk in the Dnipropetrovsk region. During his time at school, Serhiy regularly attended Protestant church services, and also explored his passion for producing and directing videos. He now works as a freelance motion designer.
Serhiy says that the decision to leave Ukraine was very difficult for him. He said the possibilities for men to leave the country are very limited, and it becomes even more complicated if you are over the age of 22. He realized that this was his last chance to travel abroad legally.
“At 23 or 24, you’re in a kind of buffer zone,” he says. “Not only can you go abroad, but you’re not hiding; meanwhile, the call-up to the army is getting closer.” In Ukraine, men could be deployed into the war against Russia after reaching the age of 25.
Serhiy has friends in Germany who left Ukraine some time ago, which also influenced his decision to come to Germany. He is now settling in, filling out applications and looking for work so he can rent an apartment. Later, he would like to bring his family – his mother, brother and sister – with him. He does not want to return to Ukraine for at least ten years. He doesn’t remember home.
“I’ve moved a lot, and unfortunately I’ve never had a proper home,” says Serhiy, who has moved six times since the war began in 2014.
Victor: ‘They can lower the prescription age’
Eighteen-year-old Victor, from the village of Hryhorivka, south of Kiev, came to Berlin with his girlfriend at the end of August. Both of them have applied for temporary protection. Victor is able to continue his studies online at the Kyiv University of Culture, and he dreams of becoming an actor.
He initially wanted to move abroad before turning 18, but was hesitant. Ultimately, he says, it was “fear of war” and “fear of being scripted” that led him to leave. Although men under the age of 25 are not currently admitted, he believes this could change at any time.
“I’ve read reports that the conscription age could be lowered. All kinds of laws can be passed in our country, including one where you can be conscription at the age of 18,” says Victor.
His parents still live in Ukraine; His mother works as a nurse, while his father has been unemployed for years due to health reasons. Victor is finding settling in Germany more difficult than expected. He would like to learn German, then study at university, or find a job. But right now, he says, things are difficult: “Everything is very bureaucratic here, and the language barrier is a problem.”
building the future in germany
Allowing men under the age of 22 to leave the country caused mixed reactions. Critics say Ukraine cannot afford to lose its young generation, especially at a time of mobilization. On social media, youth who leave the country are often referred to as “fugitives” or “traitors”.
“All my friends in Ukraine are happy for me,” says Maxim, adding: “Even people serving in the Ukrainian army have not said that I am leaving the country and should fight.”
When he left Ukraine, there were only a few people his age on the bus, Maxim says. He comments that anyone making the move sees it as an opportunity, but adds that he is prepared to return if integration abroad proves too difficult. He believes that the things people learn in Germany can be put to good use if they go back to Ukraine.
Serhiy said there were eight other young men on his bus, and they were all very happy after passing through passport control.
“Once we got there, everyone shouted: Hooray, we did it!” He says.
Despite their different circumstances, all three young men – Maxim, Serhiy and Victor – aspire to make a life for themselves in Germany. Surveys indicate that more than one in five Ukrainian teenagers now want to move abroad, while 52% want to stay in Ukraine.
This article was originally written in Ukrainian.