Germany puts squeeze on benefits for Ukrainians as arrivals surge

"The 20-year-old from Zhytomyr, who did not want to give his full name, arrived in Berlin this week with his friends Nikita and Dmytro. Timofiy said he had left Ukraine because he did not see a future there, admitting that he felt "the fear of death". "Maybe I'm not a great patriot, but what I want is the opportunity to flourish somewhere," he told AFP at a bus stop in the rain near a major accommodation centre for Ukrainians."

"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week complained to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about them coming to Germany "in ever-increasing numbers", insisting they should stay and "serve in their own country". Germany's interior ministry in October told AFP that around 1,000 young Ukrainian men were arriving every week, up from 138 in the last week of August. The influx comes amid worsening conditions for the Ukrainian army and civilians, including a spate of deadly bombings on the country's energy infrastructure."

"The German government is hoping that a new law agreed by the cabinet this week to reduce financial support available to new migrants from Ukraine might help stem the flow of new arrivals. The change is one of several moves intended to crack down on migration as Merz seeks to curb the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)."

Timofiy, a 20-year-old from Zhytomyr, left Ukraine for Berlin with friends because he saw no future and admitted feeling "the fear of death". Kyiv changed rules in late August allowing men aged 18 to 22 to leave, and thousands of young men have since departed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz complained to President Zelensky about arrivals "in ever-increasing numbers", urging them to stay and "serve in their own country". Germany's interior ministry reported about 1,000 young Ukrainian men arriving weekly in October, up from 138 in late August. The German cabinet agreed a law to reduce financial support for new Ukrainian migrants as part of broader migration crackdowns linked to concerns over the AfD's rise.

Read at The Local Germany