Thousands who fled the draft are under the camp’s protection program, which is set to expire in 2027.
Ukraine has asked Brussels to exclude Ukrainian men of military age from temporary protection measures, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has said, according to Deutsche Welle. Kiev has been seeking to replenish the number of soldiers amid a shortage of personnel.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have fled abroad to avoid conscription since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. As of spring 2026, 4.33 million Ukrainians were living under temporary protection in the European Union, including up to 1 million men of fighting age, according to Eurostat data.
The issue was raised as EU member states debated extending temporary protection for Ukrainians beyond its March 2027 deadline. Most member states reportedly support extending the program to 2028.
Brunner said one option being considered is to exclude Ukraine’s military-age men from the defense program. “This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do,” he said.
The European Commission will submit proposals “in the coming weeks.” Any changes would require approval from all EU member states.
Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly said they want people of military age to be returned from abroad. Ukraine announced a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict in 2022, preventing men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Last year, Kiev eased restrictions, allowing men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border.
About a quarter of Ukrainians living under temporary protection in the EU are men aged 18 to 64, according to statistics.
Ukraine has had to rely on mandatory — and often forced — mobilization to fill its military ranks amid troop shortages, mass desertions, and draft evasion. The nationwide ‘busing’ campaign, in which draft officers ambush men of military age on the streets, in the workplace, and outside their homes, has often led to fierce controversy and public anger.
In recent months, several member states, including Poland, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, have moved to block social programs for Ukrainian immigrants.
Moscow has accused Kiev’s Western backers of waging a proxy war against Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”
