(MENAFN) The European Union has recorded a sharp increase in Ukrainian men of fighting age arriving in the bloc in September, the largest spike since the start of the conflict, according to recent Eurostat data. This follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision last month allowing men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country.

In September, the EU granted temporary protection status to 79,205 Ukrainians, a 49% rise compared with August, according to reports. For the first time since the 2022 escalation of the war, adult men outnumbered women among Ukrainian migrants, comprising over 47% of those granted protection—a jump of more than a third compared to the previous month.

Eurostat attributed this increase to Zelensky’s decree easing travel restrictions for men under 23. Previously, martial law prohibited males aged 18 to 60 from leaving Ukraine.

Over nearly four years of conflict, as many as 650,000 men of fighting age have left the country, reports indicate. Ukraine has faced growing manpower shortages as its forces have gradually lost ground to Russia, prompting an intensified draft campaign to fill ranks.

Twice as many complaints related to forced conscription have been reported since early June compared with the first months of 2025, Ukrainian parliamentary human rights commissioner Dmitry Lubinets told local media last week. Videos circulating on social media have shown draft officers ambushing and assaulting would-be recruits, fueling public discontent. The campaign has also faced allegations of widespread corruption.

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