Ukrainian men of military age between 23-60 who arrive in the EU could lose their automatic temporary protection status under a European Commission proposal backed by Germany's Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt. The proposal would allow the measure to be introduced across the bloc if requested by the Ukrainian government.
In an interview with the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, said Berlin and Kyiv are discussing ways to encourage Ukrainian men living in Germany to return home.
Asked about plans to deport conscription-age Ukrainians whom Kyiv considers to have left the country illegally, Makeiev said: "I am not going to reveal these mechanisms yet."
According to Germany's Central Register of Foreign Nationals, more than 1.3 million Ukrainians are currently living in Germany, the vast majority under temporary protection.
Figures from the Interior Ministry, obtained by the German Press Agency (dpa), show that as of 31 May this year, 265,804 were men aged between 23-60. Across the European Union, that figure is estimated at around 1.15 million.
