"This is what Ukraine asked us for"
On July 30, the European Union extended temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 4, 2028. Along with this, new rules for those liable for military service came into effect: Ukrainians who come to the EU and apply for temporary protection for the first time must prove that they have no problems with military registration at home. For example, by showing that they are exempt from service, have already served, or are not subject to conscription.
This can be confirmed in different ways. The simplest is a stamp in the passport confirming legal departure from Ukraine. If there is no stamp, another document will do — paper or electronic — that proves that a person is exempt from military service or has the right to leave, even though they are registered. One option is to show an extract from the “Reserve+” application.
The European Commission explained these changes by saying that it wants to continue to help Ukrainians without undermining their defense capabilities. These changes were discussed in the EU last year.
“This is what Ukraine asked us to do, and we are doing it. This decision also reflects the position of the member states, especially those that host the largest number of Ukrainian refugees,” said Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, at a press conference in Brussels on June 28.
Later, a spokesman for the European Commission clarified that the commissioner was referring to the Commission’s consultations with the Ukrainian side, and not to a separate request from the Ukrainian authorities.
European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner speaks at a press briefing in Brussels about the proposal to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians, June 26, 2026.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Even before the European Commissionʼs proposal, it was being discussed by individual European governments. For example, in October 2025, Germany called on the EU to restrict the entry of young Ukrainian men.
At the end of February 2026, Denmark and Norway announced plans to limit temporary protection for Ukrainian men almost simultaneously. In June, the issue was already being discussed at the EU level.
At a meeting of EU interior ministers on June 4, the Czech Republic, in particular, advocated that the new temporary protection not apply to Ukrainian men of military age.
The EU wrote the rule in a gender-neutral way, but did not explain how to interpret it
Even at the stage of discussions, the European Commission wanted to impose restrictions on Ukrainian men aged 23–60. The Council of Europe has warned EU countries about the risk of discrimination on the grounds of gender and age.
Human Rights Commissioner Michael OʼFlaherty noted that Ukraine has the right to call up citizens for military service, but this does not cancel the obligation of other countries to provide them with international protection.
Therefore, it is impossible to exclude an entire group of Ukrainians from temporary protection solely on the basis of gender and age without separate justification.
Ukrainian refugees register for temporary protection at the migration office in Brussels, March 14, 2022.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
This is how the final EU decision came to include a gender-neutral rule. It does not mention either men or women, but refers to people who have military obligations in Ukraine.
“Temporary protection shall be granted only to persons who have fulfilled their military obligations in Ukraine, subject to the presentation of supporting documents in appropriate cases,” the EU Council document states.
The decision was made in the middle of summer, on the eve of the traditional holiday season in the European institutions. So the governments of the EU countries received a new rule, and Brussels was supposed to provide more detailed explanations later, but did not have time. Ukrainian women were the first to feel the gap in communication.
Reports began to appear on social media about Ukrainian women who, when applying for protection in Spain, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, and Belgium, were asked to show their military registration documents. And in some cases, were denied protection.
Posts from Threads and Facebook stating that Ukrainian women are being asked to show the "Reserve+" application for temporary shelter in the EU, August 2026.
Threads; Threads / Facebook
The problem is that in practice, the military status of men and women cannot always be confirmed in the same way. For checking military registration, the EU Council decision, in particular, mentioned the “Reserve+” application. For men of draft age, a clear entry in it usually immediately shows the real status.
However, for women who are on military registration, such an entry may be ambiguous: it only confirms the fact of being on the register, but does not show whether a person is undergoing military service.
Because of this, a European official may see a military registration mark on the document and decide that the person has military obligations. Then the woman may be required to provide additional certificates, paper documents or explanations to prove that she is a civilian and is entitled to temporary protection.
Advertisement at a police station in Spain requesting data from the “Reserve+” app for paperwork, August 2026.
Threads
The European Commission promises to clarify everything, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains what to do
The European Commission is already preparing "instructions" for member states on how to conduct the inspection, European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said at a briefing in Brussels on June 20.
He said that EU countries have already been provided with a “working document with answers to frequently asked questions” and detailed guidelines will be published in the coming weeks to help interpret the new rules.
Lammert specifically stressed that the EU Council decision does not distinguish between men and women: “This concerns military service or previous military service, and there is no distinction between men and women.”
While this issue remains unresolved, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises citizens of Ukraine, regardless of gender and age, to ask border guards to put a stamp in their passport stating that they are leaving Ukraine when crossing the border.
Those who are already abroad and want to officially confirm crossing the Ukrainian border can submit an application to the Main Center for Processing Special Information of the State Border Service of Ukraine. It must be filled out according to the sample on the website and sent to the e-mail address [email protected].
In response, the State Border Service of Ukraine must send an official certificate that can be shown to an official in the EU as proof of legal departure.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promises to publish additional clarifications on its website, as well as on the websites of Ukrainian embassies and consulates abroad.