In Germany, there were calls to exclude Ukrainians fit for military service from social benefits

Young Ukrainians who are fit for military service should be excluded from Germany’s social welfare system.

This said Alexander Throm, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s domestic policy spokesperson in the Bundestag.

According to him, these people should not be part of Germany’s social security system. In this context, Throm pointed out that other European countries, such as Poland, have already reduced benefits for Ukrainians.

On January 2, the newspaper Münchner Merkur wrote that the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag is urging the German authorities to expel refugees from Syria and Afghanistan, and also to deport to Ukraine men who are fit for military service.

On November 25, 2025, Germany’s Friedrich Merz said that all Ukrainian refugees in Germany who are able to work should find jobs instead of living on benefits. According to him, the employment rate of Ukrainian refugees in Germany remains among the lowest in the EU and is below 30%. In some other countries, he noted, it exceeds 70–80%.

Earlier, it was reported that the EU would send Ukrainian refugees back to Kyiv with the help of Interpol.