According to The Telegraph, after the lifting of the exit ban for men under 22 from Ukraine, 1,600 people from this category leave the country daily. In total, since the end of August, 98,500 young men have left Ukraine for Poland.
Poland is recording a mass exodus of young men from Ukraine following Kyiv's adoption of a law allowing them to leave the country. Over the past two months, nearly 100 thousand men aged 18 to 22 have departed from Ukraine to Poland, reported the British newspaper The Telegraph on Thursday, October 30, citing data from the Polish Border Guard.
1,600 young men leave Ukraine for Poland daily
According to Polish border guards, from January 2025 until the new legislative norm came into effect at the end of August, a total of about 45,300 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22 entered Poland. In the following two months, this figure rose to 98,500, which is about 1,600 people per day.
Since August 28, Ukrainian men aged 18-22 have been allowed to leave the country freely. Prior to this date, the martial law in effect in Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale war unleashed by Russia prohibited adult men under 60 from leaving the country, with certain exceptions.
"The aim of this step is primarily to provide young Ukrainians with broader opportunities for education, internships, and legal employment abroad, so that the experience they gain can later be used for the development of Ukraine," wrote Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko on Telegram.
More young Ukrainians are entering Germany
After the easing of the exit ban for Ukrainian men, the number of applications for temporary protection in Germany from this group has increased from about 100 to 1,000 per week, the German Ministry of the Interior reported on October 15.
The total number of Ukrainian citizens seeking protection in Germany has also increased. According to the Ministry of the Interior, in May 2025, 7,961 people from Ukraine were registered through the registration system, in August - 11,277, and in September - 18,755. Ukrainians receive residence permits under Article 24 of the Residence Act, which grants them immediate access to the labor market and social benefits.
At the end of October, the Prime Minister of Bavaria and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), part of the ruling coalition in Germany, Markus Söder, called for limiting the entry of young Ukrainian men into Germany. "It won't help anyone if even more young people from Ukraine come to Germany instead of defending their homeland," the conservative politician stated in an interview with Bild.
