Europe Asia News

The SVR claimed that the EU leadership is intensifying efforts to send Ukrainian men residing in EU countries back to Ukraine in order to meet the military's personnel needs following losses sustained by the Ukrainian armed forces.

In a statement issued by the SVR Press Bureau, it was alleged that more than one million Ukrainian men living in EU countries are being targeted. The statement claimed that authorities in Brussels plan to use all available means to force these individuals to return to Ukraine.

The statement alleged that the first step in this process was a decision by the Council of the European Union to stop granting temporary protection status to Ukrainians of military age as of August 2026. It further claimed that the termination of this status would significantly restrict these individuals' access to social services and benefits in Europe.

The statement also alleged that Brussels plans to introduce new measures by the end of the year that would make it more difficult for Ukrainians avoiding military service to access financial services, find employment and rent housing in Europe. It claimed that these measures would force large numbers of Ukrainians to return to their country and that those returning would be sent directly into combat.

The statement further alleged that these EU policies would negatively affect both the economic needs of the eurozone and Ukraine's demographic future. Citing what it described as European estimates, it claimed that within 10 to 20 years, the population in territories controlled by the Kyiv authorities would be only slightly above 10 million. It also alleged that just one-third of this population would be able to work, arguing that Ukraine could fall below a critical threshold for maintaining its national existence.