Almost 1.3 million Ukrainian refugees have come to Germany since Russia launched its war of aggression in February 2022. At the start of October 2025, the central register of foreign nationals recorded 1,293,672 individuals who had been granted temporary protection since the war began.
Until recently, the majority were Ukrainian women with children, or pensioners. Now, though, large numbers of men under the age of 22 have begun to arrive.
This is because Ukraine’s government has changed the rules on who is permitted to cross the border. Since August 28, restrictions have been lifted on men aged between 18 and 22 leaving the country. This has led to a huge rise in the number of Ukrainian men in this age group registering in Germany: From around 100 a week to almost 1,000, according to the German Interior Ministry.
“At 23 or 24, you’re in a sort of buffer zone. You can’t just go abroad, but you’re not hiding either; meanwhile, army call-up is getting closer and closer,” he says. In Ukraine, men can be deployed in the war against Russia once they reach the age of 25.
Serhiy has friends in Germany who left Ukraine some time ago, which influenced his decision to come to Germany too. He’s 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 — to join him. He doesn’t want to go back to Ukraine for at least ten years. He’s not homesick.