Armed Ukrainians to be returned to their home country by the Southern authorities

Forced relocation of Ukrainians back to their homeland sought by the south.

In the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed that 26 Western countries send troops to secure a ceasefire or peace. However, the German government has not yet committed to participating in this deployment.

The Kremlin has expressed its rejection to the possibility of NATO troops being stationed in Ukraine, stating that it would not accept it. This sentiment is shared by Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, who believes that such a move could be a precursor to Ukraine's accession to NATO and could escalate tensions further.

Meanwhile, Söder is considering the further handling of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. Currently, Ukrainians who came to Germany as part of the large refugee movement following the Russian attack in 2022 are not considered asylum seekers but are allowed to work immediately and receive citizen's allowance if they cannot earn their living immediately. However, Söder has stated that the current system leads to a lower proportion of Ukrainian refugees being in work compared to other European countries.

In an effort to address this issue, Söder suggests reintroducing conscription. However, he believes that a conscription for women is not feasible due to the lack of a achievable two-thirds majority in the Bundestag for a constitutional amendment. The blocking minority of left and right-wing extremists prevents the implementation of conscription for women.

The German government plans that Ukrainian refugees arriving after April 1, 2025, will no longer receive citizen's allowance but instead will get lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz), which also means they lose regular health insurance coverage. This change is set to take effect retroactively from April 1, 2025.

Söder sees little chance of peace in Ukraine and believes it is legitimate to consider sending capable Ukrainians back to their homeland to take care of security. However, he believes that the Bundeswehr, the German military, is not currently ready for deployment in Ukraine due to financial and personnel constraints.

The Kremlin channel has compared Bundeswehr deployments in Ukraine to the Wehrmacht, a comparison that Söder and the German government strongly reject. Söder believes it is unlikely that German soldiers will be deployed in Ukraine.

In a separate development, CSU chairman Markus Söder is considering the further handling of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. He has expressed concerns about the current system leading to a lower proportion of Ukrainian refugees being in work compared to other European countries. Söder is also considering the implications of the black-red coalition's plans to change the benefits for Ukrainian refugees arriving after April 1, 2025.