Germany: only three men of conscription age have used the Ukrainian return center in Berlin

Since the opening in Germany of Unity Hub — a center for the return of Ukrainian citizens home — only three men of conscription age have used its services.

This is reported by the German newspaper Deutsche Welle.

In total, since April, about 60 Ukrainians have approached the Unity Hub in Berlin. Most of them are pensioners who wanted to get information but did not plan to return to Ukraine.

According to official data, more than 1.3 million Ukrainians who have received temporary protection live in Germany, including over 265,000 men of conscription age.

The unity center for Ukrainians in Berlin opened on April 15. It is a joint project of Ukraine and Germany: the German side financed the placement of the center, and Ukraine is responsible for its operation through the Agency for National Unity under the Ministry of Social Policy.

Unity Hub was created as a support space for Ukrainians living abroad. The initiative is also linked to the EU’s preparations for the possible end of temporary protection: in such a case, Ukrainians would have to process residence documents under the national rules of the countries where they are located, or consider returning home.

The center provides consultations on pensions, social payments and housing in Ukraine, and also holds educational and cultural events for children and adults. It is staffed by representatives of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the passport service of the state enterprise “Dokument,” the Ukrainian IT sector and other organizations.

As Ukraine’s Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity Denys Uliutin noted, the Berlin center was to become the first in a network of similar spaces that are planned to be opened in other EU countries as well, in particular in the Czech Republic and Sweden.

It was previously reported that in Germany Ukrainian refugees find jobs half as often as in other European countries. In addition, the Alternative for Germany party claims that more than a million Ukrainians in the Federal Republic receive social payments, and that such a situation is “no longer financially sustainable.”