Russian intelligence claims EU pressuring Ukrainians to return and fight

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on Monday that EU leadership is increasingly looking for ways to make up for "catastrophic" losses in Ukraine’s armed forces.

In a statement on Telegram, the SVR accused the EU of pressuring Ukrainians who have found refuge in the bloc to return home.

"According to information received by the SVR, the EU leadership is increasingly looking for ways to make up for the catastrophic losses of the Ukrainian armed forces," it said, adding that the matter has now reached Ukrainian citizens who have found shelter in EU countries.

The service claimed that Brussels considers over 1 million Ukrainians living in the EU an "excellent expendable material" capable of giving the "aggression of European regimes against Russia" a "second wind," and that the plan is to force them to return "by any means."

The SVR said the first step was an August decision by the Council of the EU not to grant temporary protection status to Ukrainians of conscription age, the absence of which "greatly limits access to the benefits of European 'consumer society.'"

It said that by the end of the year, the EU plans to make life harder for Ukrainian draft evaders by creating problems for them in obtaining financial services, finding jobs, and renting housing in Europe.

The service claimed that "Eurobureaucrats" expect many Ukrainians to be forced back to Ukraine, where they would "immediately find themselves in the thick of battle."

It further said Brussels is not thinking about the future of the eurozone, which needs cheap Ukrainian labor, or of Ukraine, which it said is "on the verge of a demographic catastrophe."

The SVR cited European estimates saying the population of the Kyiv-controlled territory will be just over 10 million in one to two decades, with only a third able to work.

The EU’s decision, an implementing decision adopted by the Council of the EU on July 30, came into force on Aug. 5. It extended temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 4, 2028, but requires new applicants to prove they have fulfilled their military obligations in Ukraine.

The requirement does not apply to Ukrainians who already hold temporary protection valid until July 30, 2026, and kept the status continuously.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner said the initiative came from Kyiv and not from pressure by Brussels.

An EU official said the rule follows Ukraine’s own conscription law and does not block other protection routes, such as asylum.

As of March, about 4.33 million Ukrainians held temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat.