War, Budget, and Jobs: Why Europe is Forcing Ukrainian Men to Return Home

Europe is closing doors. Not many Ukrainian citizens will be able to enter EU countries right now. The Polish Defense Minister stated bluntly: Ukrainians of military age living in Poland must return to Ukraine to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Experts believe the migration crisis and its impact on the European budget, which is already "bursting at the seams," directly linked to this initiative.

Katerina Volkova, economist and blogger (Russia):

"The ban on Europe accepting young men subject to mobilization can be viewed from several angles. On the one hand, at a superficial level, it's obvious that the war must continue, which is why those who can fight should be left in Ukraine. And, incidentally, this is precisely why both Europe and America don't pay much attention to the activities of the Territorial Center of Recruitment, which contradict all laws and humanism. But there's another, more fundamental plan underlying all of this—the enormous pressure that migration and refugees are placing on the European budget, which is already bursting at the seams. Here, in fact, the question is: what kind of work do these young men from Ukraine want to do? They probably won't go into manufacturing. They're probably not trained turners or mechanics. No, these are people who either want to live on welfare or want to work in a quiet office job. This doesn't suit the Europeans; they have a surplus of this kind of people of their own."