Is it right for Ukrainian men subject to mobilization to stay in Germany and receive welfare benefits while their homeland struggles for survival? Criticism has become more and more harsh lately.
Unlike other refugees, Ukrainians in Germany receive social benefits as if they were German citizens, not asylum seekers. This decision is increasingly being questioned, writes the public media ARD.
Germany supports deserters?
Interior Minister of the Brandenburg state, Michael Stübgen, wants to review this practice, especially with regard to those Ukrainian men who can be mobilized into the army. According to a CDU politician, it makes no sense to talk about supporting Ukraine in every possible way and at the same time to support Ukrainians who have defected.
According to Stübgen, the way in which benefits are paid to Ukrainian refugees in Germany is "fundamentally wrong". He recalls that a small percentage of Ukrainians have found work in Germany and explains that, in his opinion, it is the receipt of generous social benefits that stops them from looking for permanent employment. Stübgen believes that the federal government should rethink its strategy on this issue, writes ARD.
Double standards?
The parliamentary secretary of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag, Torsten Frei, also appealed for a change of course: "Paying out social benefits to war refugees sets up completely the wrong incentives," the CDU politician told newspapers from the Funke media group. cited by ARD. “While everything is now at stake for Kiev, many Ukrainians of fighting age are hiding in Germany. And it is well known that the country needs not only weapons, but also soldiers”, explains Fry.
The opinion of the Interior Minister of Bavaria - Joachim Hermann from the CSU is similar. “Several tens of thousands of men who are subject to military service in Ukraine receive social benefits in Germany. This can no longer be explained to the German population, especially in view of the discussion about returning conscription to Germany, Hermann told RND.
The liberal party in Germany, meanwhile, also spoke out for the abolition of welfare payments for Ukrainian men of fighting age. The general secretary of the SDP told "Bild" that newly arrived refugees from Ukraine should no longer receive regular social assistance, but only what is due to asylum seekers. This should stimulate them to look for work in Germany.
Almost 210,000 Ukrainian men reside in Germany
According to data from the RND media network, about 256,000 Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 have temporarily resided in Germany. According to the latest data, their number is almost 210,000.
Earlier, the Association of German Municipalities also expressed criticism against the immediate granting of social benefits to Ukrainian refugees. From there, they claim that the current practice puts Ukrainians in a privileged position compared to other groups of refugees.