Applications have surged tenfold since Kiev eased travel restrictions for younger men, official data reportedly shows<\/p>\n
Germany has recorded a steep increase in asylum applications from Ukrainians after Kiev eased travel restrictions for younger men who are not yet subject to mandatory conscription, German media reported on Wednesday, citing Interior Ministry data.
\nAccording to the figures, the number of weekly applications rose from roughly 100 to about 1,000 after Ukraine allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country legally. The exemption was introduced in late August. A spokesman for the German Interior Ministry told the Funke Media Group that Berlin could not yet determine whether the spike represented a \u201ctemporary development.\u201d
\nUkraine imposed a blanket travel ban on men aged 18 to 60 shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, though its compulsory draft currently applies only to those aged 25 and older. Interior Minister Igor Klimenko described the decision in August as an opportunity for \u201ceducation, internships, and legal employment abroad,\u201d suggesting that the experience gained overseas could later benefit the Ukrainian economy.
\nDespite Kiev\u2019s previous claim that no large-scale outflow had been observed, Poland\u2019s border guard service reported a surge in crossings from about 500 to more than 6,000 per week at checkpoints in the Podkarpackie region during the first week of the new policy.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Ukrainians told to stop sharing violent conscription videos<\/p>\n
Ukrainian media outlets have since reported an uptick in resignations among young men seeking to relocate abroad, as well as a wave of social media posts lamenting the sudden decline in dating prospects among young women.
\nConscription remains one of Ukraine\u2019s most contentious domestic issues. Critics argue that the draft disproportionately affects poorer citizens unable to bribe their way out of service, while widespread avoidance has undermined the mobilization effort. Moscow has accused Kiev of fighting \u201cto the last Ukrainian\u201d for Western interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Applications have surged tenfold since Kiev eased travel restrictions for younger men, official data reportedly shows Germany has recorded a steep increase in asylum applications from Ukrainians after Kiev eased…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20349,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t