Bild: Germany cuts benefits for some Ukrainian refugees

German authorities have reached a compromise on stripping part of the Ukrainian refugees of so-called civilian benefits.

Ukrainians who arrived in Germany after April 1 of this year will no longer receive these civilian benefits, Bild reports, citing its own sources.

They will still be provided with material assistance on the same basis as other asylum seekers, but the amount will be significantly lower than the current payments.

The civilian benefit for one adult ranges from €506 to €563. For teenagers aged 15–18, the amount reaches €471. Overall, the civilian benefit exceeds the basic material assistance of €460 by €103.

Nearly 1.3 million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Germany since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

As of early October 2025, the country’s central register of foreign nationals listed 1,293,672 people who had been granted temporary protection since the start of the war.

For most of this period, the influx largely consisted of women with children and elderly Ukrainians.

Recently, however, Germany has seen a sharp increase in the arrival of young men under the age of 22.

The shift follows a policy change by the Ukrainian government, which on August 28 lifted restrictions on men aged 18 to 22 leaving the country.

According to the German Interior Ministry, this has resulted in a surge in registrations within this age group, rising from about 100 per week to nearly 1,000.

By Jeyhun Aghazada