Thousands of Ukrainians who fled to avoid conscription are currently under EU temporary protection measures set to expire in 2027. According to EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, Ukraine has requested the exclusion of military-aged individuals from these protections. The appeal follows Kyiv’s urgent efforts to address severe shortages within its armed forces.
Since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have fled abroad to evade conscription. Eurostat data reports that as of spring 2026, 4.33 million Ukrainians reside under EU temporary protection, including an estimated one million men within the military age range.
The issue has been highlighted by EU member states as they discuss extending the program beyond its current March 2027 expiration date. Most nations reportedly support prolonging protections until 2028. Brunner confirmed that excluding Ukrainian military-aged individuals from the protection scheme is under consideration, stating: “This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do.”
The European Commission will propose changes in the coming weeks, though approval requires consensus among all EU member states. Kyiv has repeatedly called for the repatriation of men who have fled abroad. After initially barring men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country following the conflict’s escalation in 2022, Kiev recently relaxed restrictions to allow men aged 18 to 22 to cross borders.
Approximately one-quarter of Ukrainians under EU temporary protection are men aged 18 to 64. This has intensified pressure on Ukrainian forces, which have been forced into mandatory and often coercive mobilization efforts to counter chronic troop shortages, mass desertions, and widespread draft evasion. The nationwide “bussification” campaign — in which conscription officers ambush military-aged individuals on streets, workplaces, and homes — has frequently sparked violent altercations and public outrage.
In recent months, several EU countries including Poland, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have begun restricting social benefits for Ukrainian migrants. Meanwhile, Moscow has accused Kyiv’s Western allies of waging a proxy war against Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”