Ukrainian military personnel leaving training sites in Germany

Some Ukrainian service members undergoing military training in Germany have left training centers without authorization and failed to return to their units. Die Zeit reported this.

According to the information, the number of such cases may be higher than confirmed by German officials.

Nearly 80 cases in Saxony-Anhalt

According to Die Zeit, in Saxony-Anhalt alone, nearly 80 Ukrainian service members have left training sites without authorization.

The publication writes that the number of military personnel involved in such cases across Germany could be in the hundreds.

Nearly 29,000 Ukrainian military personnel have undergone training in Germany

Since 2022, large-scale training programs for Ukrainian service members have been carried out in Germany.

Germany’s Defense Ministry has confirmed that there have been cases of military personnel leaving training sites without authorization. However, it was stated that no unified statistics are maintained for the country as a whole.

Some military personnel may remain in Germany

Die Zeit notes that some Ukrainian military personnel who left training sites may attempt to remain in Germany.

In particular, they may consider applying for asylum. However, to obtain protection status in Germany, an applicant must substantiate that they would face persecution or a serious threat if they returned to their homeland.

The situation is also a serious issue for Ukraine

The unauthorized departure of Ukrainian military personnel from their training in Germany could create problems not only for training programs in Germany but also for the Ukrainian army.

Especially as significant resources are being invested in training military specialists in Germany, cases of personnel failing to complete their training and return to their units are raising questions about the program’s effectiveness.