Surge in Ukrainian โMen of Military โAge Leaving โฃthe Country as Support Wanes inโฃ Host Nations
Wrocลaw, Poland – A growing number of Ukrainian men nearing militaryโค conscription age are leaving Ukraine, seekingโ refuge in neighboring European countries like Germany โฃandโ Poland, according to recent โdata and firsthand accounts.Thisโข exodus comes as โpublic support for โaccepting Ukrainian refugees begins to decline inโ host nations, and as โpolitical pressures mount to limitโ assistance.
Since the start of the war, Germany has granted temporary protection toโข over 1.2 million Ukrainians – the highest number within the European Union. However,a important recent increase โคshows a โshift in who is seeking that protection. In October alone, Germany saw approximatelyโค 1,800 Ukrainian men of potential military age arrive each week, according to theโ German Interior Ministry.
Poland has experienced a โsimilar โsurge. The Polish Border Guard reported over 121,000 Ukrainian men โin the same age bracket entered the country as the end of August, a dramatic โฃincrease from the roughly 34,000 who arrived over the preceding eight months.โค While some โare likely in transit,many,like Klim Milchenko,are choosing to remain.
“It feels likeโ I’m starting a new life,” Milchenko told a reporter during a recent โvisit to Wrocลaw, Poland. He represents a growing โขcohort of Ukrainian men seeking a future outside of the ongoing conflict and potential conscription.
The influx is occurring against a โฃbackdrop โขof increasing strain on host nations. In wrocลaw, โincidents ofโค anti-Ukrainian sentiment have been reported, including vandalism targetingโค Ukrainian-owned vehicles and a violent assault motivated by perceived nationality. In September, aโ Ukrainian woman’s car was spray-painted withโ the message “to the front,” and a Polish manโ was โขcharged with shooting and seriously injuring a romanian man he mistakenly believed to be Ukrainian.
Nationwide Polish polls indicate a steadyโ decline โคin public support for acceptingโข Ukrainian refugees,โ reaching it’s lowest level as Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Poland’s newly elected President, Karol Nawrocki, has pledged โขto reduce govermentโค support โfor โคUkrainian refugees, while the far-right Confederation Party has criticized Ukrainian men โคwho have relocated to Poland, accusingโข them of unfairly burdening Polish taxpayers. โฃ
However, a study by Poland’s National Progress Bank contradicts โthese claims, โfinding that Ukrainians actually contribute more in taxes than they receive in benefits.
Milchenko’s โคexperience reflects the challenges faced by these new โarrivals. Despite applyingโ to thirty โdifferent โpositions, he has received only one response – a swimming poolโฃ that ultimately rejected his application despite his lifeguard certification and prior experienceโฃ in Kyiv. He suspects age or nationality played a roleโ in โขthe decision.
The โsituation highlights โคa complexโ dynamic:โข a desperateโ attempt by Ukrainian menโ to avoid military service,coupled with growing fatigue and political headwinds in โthe countries offering refuge. The long-term โขimplications for both Ukraine and its European neighbors remain to โขbe seen.