Queue in front of the Berlin central reception center for refugee documents
The problem of asylum seekers in Germany has long been the main topic of the German press. Much is written here about migrants from countries engulfed in civil wars – Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, Nigeria, as well as Balkan states, in particular Kosovo, Albania, and Serbia. In terms of the number of asylum applications, Kosovars now rank second after Syrians. But they have practically no chance of staying in Germany. The German authorities are deporting people from the Balkans to their homeland ever more quickly.
Ukrainian refugees are a different matter. There are still few of them in the growing queues of asylum seekers in Germany, but their numbers are increasing. Ukrainian citizens have a special status here and good chances of staying in Germany for a long time, or even permanently.
According to official data from the German government, in February 2014, when the well-known events on the Maidan in Kyiv took place, 31 Ukrainians applied for asylum in Germany. Then that number grew. In June 2015, 636 applications from Ukrainian citizens were being processed by German authorities. In total, that is already several thousand people.
Representatives of the Left Party faction in the Bundestag believe that asylum in Germany is sought mainly by those Ukrainians who, for religious or other reasons, do not wish to serve in the army, but their arguments are not taken into account by Ukrainian military conscription offices.
From the point of view of the deputies of this faction, against the backdrop of what they consider the "comprehensive militarization of the country," it is necessary to "respect the individual decision not to take part in military actions." "We, the Left Party faction, demand that people who fled from hostilities and for ideological reasons do not wish to support the fratricidal war in Ukraine should be fully granted asylum in Germany," said its foreign policy expert Sevim Dağdelen in an interview with DW. But according to her, so far (this was in May) only one Ukrainian has been granted asylum on the basis of conscientious objection. When Dağdelen inquired why only he was an exception, she was told that the reason is that the applicant is a minor. "According to international norms," she told DW correspondent, "conscientious objection is one of the fundamental human rights, and if it is violated, it should be sufficient grounds for granting asylum."
The German government sees things differently. In its response to a parliamentary inquiry from Left Party deputies, it acknowledges that Ukraine has much stricter legal norms regarding conscientious objection than, for example, Germany. But "the decision on how they conform to the European Convention on Human Rights falls within the competence of the European Court of Human Rights." Official Berlin also points out that any state has the right to decide how to form its armed forces, and punishment for evading military conscription is provided for in many countries with rule of law.
The German government also does not confirm the assumption that the looming military draft is the main reason for the growing flow of Ukrainian refugees to Germany. Former residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to a survey conducted among asylum seekers, motivate their applications primarily by hostilities, the collapse of the supply system, and the cessation of benefits and pensions. People flee Crimea because of the Russian presence and the need to take Russian citizenship. The main motives of representatives of other regions of Ukraine are the deplorable economic situation as a result of the political crisis, meager wages, rising prices, fear of the spread of military operations to the entire country, and only lastly – the looming military draft.
The proportion of Ukrainians who have arrived in Germany and received official refugee status, and with it a residence permit, is very small. Such cases can be counted on the fingers of one hand. But formal rejections are no more. Those who are deported from Germany – but not to Ukraine, but to neighboring states – are only those who previously applied to the authorities of other EU countries and left their fingerprints there. The processing of all other cases is frozen.
In the German language, rich in bureaucratic nuances, this decision is called "deprioritization" (Rückpriorisierung). At the Ministry of the Interior, a DW correspondent was told that such a decision was made in order to free up human resources to deal with the problems of the main flow of refugees. "There's no time for Ukrainians now," they said, "we need to deal with others first."
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) explains its decision differently. They simply cannot assess the situation in Ukraine. "If we were sure that it would remain as it is now, we would send everyone home. But we do not know how the conflict will develop," one employee of the office said on condition of anonymity.
As a result, practically all Ukrainian citizens who have applied for asylum in Germany receive no response at all and remain here until the situation becomes clear, which may happen at an unknown time. The conflict could drag on for years, and BAMF bases its decisions on press reports and information from the German Foreign Ministry, a DW correspondent was told.
In the meantime, refugees from Ukraine, like all others, are provided with housing (first dormitories, then social apartments), food (during their stay in dormitories), and a cash allowance for pocket money. Single people receive 143 euros per month, married people 129 euros, and children are given 84-92 euros. After moving into an apartment paid for by the social welfare office, the allowances increase to 216, 194, and 133-198 euros respectively. Three months after submitting their application, all refugees in Germany receive the right to work.
As experience shows, people who manage to learn German, find a job, integrate into society, have children or send them to school while waiting for their fate — which sometimes takes years — have a good chance of staying in Germany forever.