Eurostat figures indicate that for the first time since 2022, men now constitute the majority of new arrivals, outnumbering women.
According to the most recent Eurostat data, the EU registered its largest surge in Ukrainian men of military age arriving in September, just one month after President Volodymyr Zelensky permitted men aged 18 to 22 to exit the country.
The European statistical office reported on Monday that in September, the bloc granted temporary protection status to 79,205 Ukrainians, representing a 49% increase from the previous month.
The data reveals that for the first time since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, adult men surpassed women among Ukrainian migrants. Over 47% of Ukrainians who received temporary protection status in September were adult males, marking an increase of more than one-third compared to August.
Eurostat attributed this rise to Zelensky’s recent decree which eased travel restrictions for men under the age of 23. Prior to this, martial law prohibited males aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.
In August, The Telegraph reported that approximately 650,000 men of fighting age have fled Ukraine over the conflict’s nearly four-year duration.
The nation has experienced increasing manpower shortages as it has steadily lost ground to Russia on the front lines, leading Kyiv to intensify its draft campaign to compensate.
Ukrainian parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmitry Lubinets told local media last week that complaints regarding forced conscription have doubled since early June compared to the early months of 2025.
Videos showing Ukrainian draft officers ambushing and physically assaulting prospective recruits have consistently surfaced on social media, contributing to growing public discontent. The campaign has also been plagued by allegations of widespread corruption.