After lifting travel restrictions: Germany records an influx of applications from Ukrainian men
фото: ДПСУ
Germany has recorded a significant increase in the number of asylum applications from Ukrainian citizens, with the largest increase among young men aged 18 to 22.
This is reported by the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, citing statistics from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior.
According to the agency, in September 2025 alone, 18,755 applications were registered, while in August — 11,277, and in May — 7,961.
Over 2,000 applications have already been submitted in the first five days of October.
The article emphasizes that there are several factors that influenced the situation:
Ukraine’s lifting of the travel ban on men aged 18–22 opened the borders for young men who were previously unable to leave.
The intensification of shelling by the Russian Federation – the worsening situation on the frontline is encouraging some civilians to travel abroad.
The complexity of living conditions in Ukraine – there are over 4 million internally displaced persons, and the state’s ability to provide support is limited: housing is expensive, and it is difficult to find work.
New restrictions in Poland – Warsaw’s recent decision to limit access to social assistance for unemployed Ukrainians has forced some people to look for alternatives in other EU countries.
A representative of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior said in a comment to the publication:
“We are seeing a sharp increase in protection requests from young men. To what extent this is a temporary trend is difficult to say at this time.”
As a reminder, in September, Polish border guards recorded a sharp increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens aged 18–22 who crossed the border into Poland . The figure increased more than 10 times compared to August.
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