{"id":857,"date":"2026-09-28T15:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/?p=857"},"modified":"2026-10-01T14:19:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:19:45","slug":"far-right-gains-raise-questions-for-ukrainians-in-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/far-right-gains-raise-questions-for-ukrainians-in-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Far-right gains raise questions for Ukrainians in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has called for ending the refugee status of Ukrainians who fled Russia\u2019s invasion, won<\/a> the largest share of votes in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sept. 20. It was the party\u2019s third state election victory and its second this month.<\/p>\n

Anastasiia Yakovlieva, 25, a Ukrainian who has lived in Germany since March 2022, said the results raise questions for her. \u201cThat sometimes makes you think \u2013 do you want to stay in Germany or do you want to change your country?\u201d she said. \u201cDo you want to live in a society like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

The AfD\u2019s national platform<\/a> says refugees \u201cneed to leave Germany\u201d and \u201creturn to their home countries.\u201d The party\u2019s Saxony-Anhalt chapter, which won<\/a> 43.8% of the state\u2019s vote earlier this month, has published its own manifesto calling for a mass-deportation campaign it calls \u201cremigration\u201d and encouraging businesses to use artificial intelligence rather than turn to \u201cculturally alien\u201d migrant workers, according to Reuters<\/a>. Ulrich Siegmund, the lead AfD candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, has said that \u201cremigration applies to anyone who does not contribute to society\u201d – a category that includes Ukrainian refugees without jobs, NPR reported.<\/p>\n

Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s center-right Christian Democratic Union has ruled out<\/a> working with the AfD. Germany\u2019s domestic intelligence service monitors the party<\/a> nationally as a suspected extremist organization.<\/p>\n

Sofiia Patkanovtsiy, a Princeton University sophomore from Uzhhorod in western Ukraine, described the AfD\u2019s victories as \u201cdistressing.\u201d She said Ukraine is increasingly \u201cused like a buzzword for pushing political agendas or anti-immigration sentiments.\u201d Patkanovtsiy plans to return to Ukraine after graduating, under a commitment to the nonprofit Ukraine Global Scholars, whose scholars pledge to work in Ukraine for at least five years.<\/p>\n

Yakovlieva is from Donetsk, which came under the control of Russian-backed forces in 2014. Her family fled to Kyiv and was living near Bucha and Irpin, outside the capital, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to get encircled, and that\u2019s why I decided to flee the war,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She left with her mother, stopping briefly in Poland before settling in Germany. Her father and brother later joined them, and her family now lives near Cologne.<\/p>\n

Yakovlieva speaks four languages, holds project-management certifications, and is working on a second bachelor\u2019s degree, but said, \u201cI\u2019m not that attractive of a worker in the German labor market.\u201d German employers want German-issued qualifications, she said, and retraining can take years. Her first degree would qualify her to teach in Germany only after two more years of study.<\/p>\n

Her mother holds a finance degree from a Ukrainian university and spent a decade caring for children. According to Yakovlieva, she completed a job-center training course and a month of practical training at a German kindergarten. The kindergarten then declined to hire her as an assistant because she lacked the required bachelor\u2019s degree. Yakovlieva said some Germans work in such roles without a degree or certificate \u201cjust because they are German.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of Ukrainians had to agree to work in lower positions than they used to work in Ukraine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In July, EU countries agreed to extend temporary protection<\/a> for people fleeing Ukraine until March 4, 2028. More than 4 million people have received that protection since 2022. The status stems from an EU-wide decision, not from national or state governments.<\/p>\n

Yakovlieva holds a residence permit under that temporary-protection provision. She said her employer, an American company, cannot provide the documents she would need for a German work visa.<\/p>\n

In about six months, she said, she will be able to choose between applying for German citizenship and seeking permanent residency, which would require changing jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in [Germany\u2019s] interest to keep the people here,\u201d Yakovlieva said. \u201cI think when the time comes, they will be trying to provide an opportunity for those who want to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has called for ending the refugee status of Ukrainians who fled Russia\u2019s invasion, won the largest share of votes in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sept. 20. It was the party\u2019s third state election victory and its second this month. Anastasiia Yakovlieva, 25, a Ukrainian who<\/p>\n

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