Ukrainian migrants in Germany in no rush to return home – media

The vast majority of Ukrainian migrants residing in Germany are not considering returning home in the foreseeable future, Rheinische Post has reported, citing figures attributed to the Unity Hub Berlin counseling center.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has become the top destination for Ukrainian migrants within the European Union, taking in nearly 1.3 million people, according to Eurostat. Earlier this year, the German Press Agency (dpa), citing the German Interior Ministry’s figures, reported that as of the end of May, 265,804 Ukrainian men of fighting age were living in Germany.

Even though the Ukrainian authorities imposed a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia, barring most able-bodied men ageds 22 to 60 from leaving the country, many have still managed to cross the border illegally and reached the EU.

In its article on Tuesday, Rheinische Post cited data from Unity Hub Berlin. Since the counseling center opened in April, it has received only around “60 inquiries regarding the possibilities of returning to Ukraine,” according to the publication. Just three of those reportedly came from men of military age.

“The overwhelming majority of those making inquiries are only considering a return once active hostilities have definitively ceased and the security situation in Ukraine has stabilized,” the newspaper reported, citing the counseling center’s data.

According to Rheinische Post, as of late October, Unity Hub Berlin “had no confirmed statistical data” on how many Ukrainian migrants had moved beyond initial inquiries and actually begun preparing to return home.

In recent months, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government has progressively ramped up pressure on Ukrainian migrants.