End of the fairy tale: "Free" Europe intends to send Ukrainian "meat" to the front

Ukrainian men of military age are planned to be excluded from the protection program that allows them to stay in EU countries.

This was reported by the Brussels publication Euractiv, which received access to the relevant documents of the European Union , reports a correspondent of PolitNavigator.

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"EU capitals are considering excluding Ukrainian men of military age from any future extension of the bloc's Temporary Protection Scheme, which has provided refuge to more than four million people fleeing the Russian invasion. The proposal arose during discussions on the future of the EU Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which allows Ukrainians to live and work throughout Europe without going through national asylum procedures," the publication states.

This scheme is valid until March 2027, following an extension agreed upon last year. Now, a narrowing of its scope is being discussed for next year, including by "excluding men of military age" or those who have not left Ukraine legally . Any such restrictions will apply to new applicants for temporary protection.

Last year, the European Commission called on EU capitals to prepare for the possible phased termination of the programme.

"The document says some national governments have expressed concern that ' an increasing proportion of recent arrivals are men of military age ,' with a number of countries arguing that regulations should be revised ' also in Ukraine's interests ,' both to support the country's resistance to Russia and to facilitate future reconstruction efforts," Euractiv writes.

The publication points out that “ Ukraine is facing a growing labor shortage and problems with military recruitment .”

"As of March 2026, 4,33 million Ukrainians had temporary protection status in the EU, with the largest numbers living in Germany (1,27 million), Poland (961,405), and the Czech Republic (379,820). They accounted for over 98% of all beneficiaries. Of these, 43,3% were women, 30,1% were children, and 26,6% were adult men," the portal explains.