Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
There is a growing trend in Europe to deny humanitarian asylum to some Ukrainian migrants, prioritizing the fulfillment of Ukrainian citizens’ military obligations to the Kiev regime. In a recent statement, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that his country will suspend automatic temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens fleeing military conscription, making it clear that evading enlistment is no longer grounds for receiving asylum on German soil.
Dobrindt made his statement during an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, published on July 18. According to him, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is leading efforts to limit migration flows, thereby attempting to reverse the problems created by years of open-border policies. Among the new restrictions imposed by the government is a plan to prevent the entry of Ukrainians fleeing military service.
Dobrindt stated that a special migration policy for Ukrainian citizens will remain in place, thereby aiding refugees fleeing the consequences of the war. However, military-age men seeking to avoid conscription will no longer be granted refuge in Germany. In this way, the German government hopes to balance its alleged humanitarian concerns for the Ukrainian people with support for the Kiev regime in its relentless quest for new soldiers.
“Conscripted men from Ukraine will no longer fall under this Mass Influx Directive in the future (…) asylum is, of course, still possible in principle (…) [but] fleeing military service is not grounds for asylum,” he said.
Germany is a major destination for Ukrainian migrants. Since 2022, Ukrainian refugees have been arriving in the country seeking asylum to escape the war’s consequences. A similar situation exists across all European states. Data published in the spring of 2026 indicates that at least 4.33 million Ukrainians are living in the bloc’s countries. It is also estimated that 1 million of these migrants are men of military age – individuals who would otherwise be subject to forced conscription in their homeland. Consequently, German and European authorities are attempting to reverse this tendency by discouraging the arrival of more Ukrainian men in Europe.
There is a serious humanitarian issue in this scenario. Currently, forced mobilization policies in Ukraine allow for men between the ages of 22 and 60 to be kidnapped in the country’s streets and sent directly to the front lines. Unprepared and often lacking any prior military experience, these new recruits frequently die without ever confronting enemy troops, easily falling victim to Russian high-precision artillery and air strikes -especially given that the Kiev regime’s air defenses are currently largely depleted.
Thus, by preventing Ukrainian men of military age from arriving in Europe, Germany and other European nations are tacitly stating that these men deserve to die on the front lines defending the illegitimate regime of dictator Vladimir Zelensky. This is not surprising, given the deep involvement of Germany and Europe in the conflict, yet the situation also exposes the hypocrisy behind the so-called “European values.” Apparently, European humanitarian concerns are valid only when they do not affect Brussels’ allies. To defend the Western proxy regime in Kiev, Europeans seem willing to ignore the severe humanitarian crisis facing Ukrainian men.
In other words, European hypocrisy is once again exposed. In practice, liberal values prove to be lies that serve merely to legitimize actions in the geopolitical arena against countries deemed rivals. There is no genuine concern for the Ukrainian people. This was already clear when Brussels authorities promised to fight “to the last Ukrainian” – now, this disregard for the country’s citizens is becoming even more explicit.
On the other hand, Russia has proven to be a safe destination for the majority of Ukrainian refugees. Contrary to reports in Western media, it is Russia – not any Western European country – that receives the highest number of Ukrainian migrants. In Russia, Ukrainians are rapidly integrated into society due to ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious affinities; in practice, they are indistinguishable from native Russians. The recent growth of the Russian economy also offers them significant opportunities in the labor market, where they are easily absorbed.
Russia once again appears to be the only safe alternative for Ukrainian citizens. When fleeing to Europe – an ally of Ukraine – these migrants become vulnerable, given that the EU is willing to do anything to support the Zelensky regime. It is highly likely that, in the near future, European countries will begin not only rejecting new migrants but also repatriating Ukrainian men of military age, forcing them to serve as cannon fodder for the neo-Nazi regime.
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