The Minister-President of Saxony‑Anhalt, Sven Schulze (CDU), has called on Ukraine to conscript its young men into the national army and urged that working‑age Ukrainians who are currently in Germany return to their homeland for that purpose.
“Germany, and by extension we in Saxony‑Anhalt, will continue to support Ukraine so that the country can defend itself against Russia” Schulze told “Welt”. “However, that support comes with a clear expectation”. He added that Ukraine must ensure its young men are ready to serve a secure and economically healthy nation instead of seeking refuge in Germany.
Schulze described President Volodymyr S elenskyi’s decision in August last year to relax exit regulations for 18‑ to 22‑year‑olds as a mistake. “Those relaxed rules led to a rise in refugees” he said. “This must be reversed, and the German federal government has to demand it from the Ukrainian authorities”. He urged the Kyiv administration to take all necessary measures so that additional working‑age men do not leave, and that those who have already departed return home. “Those men are essential for maintaining infrastructure and supply chains in Ukraine” he emphasized.
Clarifying that he does not want young Ukrainians sent from the safety of the Federal Republic to the front lines, Schulze added, “I do not wish to dispatch young Ukrainian citizens to battle within Germany. That is not our prerogative”. He instead highlighted the need for these men to work in their homeland: as nurses to support hospital staff, as electricians to restore damaged energy and heating systems, and in factories and other enterprises to rebuild destroyed buildings. “There is a great deal of work to secure a stable daily life for people in Ukraine” he concluded.
