Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said: “For three years now, Putin’s murderous war on Ukraine has caused unimaginable suffering every day and killed innocent men, women and children. Germany has saved many lives by taking in so many refugees. In Germany, we are protecting 1.25 million people, including very many women and children, from this horrific war. This is a humanitarian imperative. Anyone who has had to flee from the Russian invasion will continue to be safe in Germany.

We will also continue to supply aid where our help is urgently needed. We are helping the Ukrainian fire service, the emergency medical services and civil protection forces. Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief has so far organised nearly 600 aid transports – the largest logistical operation in its history. I am sincerely grateful to the many volunteers who have contributed to this effort. I also thank the Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office for the extensive support they have provided to Ukraine, including for investigating war crimes.”

Within the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community coordinates the response to the domestic policy impacts of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, acting as a link between the federal and state levels. The priorities here are internal security, taking in and integrating refugees, and coordinating aid to Ukraine.

1. The security situation in Germany

Russia’s war of aggression in violation of international law has affected the security situation in Germany, especially in the areas of Russian state-sponsored interference and disinformation, cyber security and critical infrastructure.

State-sponsored interference and disinformation

Official Russian sources and state-sponsored and state-aligned media, as well as pro-Kremlin accounts on social media, continue to spread a large volume of disinformation to influence public opinion and stoke social divisions. This disinformation consists of the familiar Russian narratives: denigrating Ukraine, portraying Western countries as warmongers, etc. Manipulation and influence campaigns can be observed: these use fake accounts on social media and faked websites, for example, to spread false or misleading information. Shortly after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began, a special task force was formed under the lead responsibility of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. The task force provides a forum for intensive communication concerning the security situation and measures to counter disinformation and other hybrid threats

Cyber security

Because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany faces an unchanged high level of threat from cyber attacks, especially attacks on critical infrastructure.  These cyber attacks are primarily intended to gather information to further Russian government interests. In addition, pro-Russian hacktivists continue to mount distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, which however do not usually cause any permanent damage.

Spillover effects and collateral damage with impacts on Germany are possible as well and in some cases have already occurred. The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) all provide information on taking cyber security measures to protect against these threats.

Protests and radicalisation

In the third year of Russia’s war of aggression, the wave of protests related to the war and its impact on Germany has subsided further.  Whereas “Monday demonstrations” and other gatherings in 2022 sometimes drew tens of thousands of protesters, the number of people participating in similar events today is relatively small. But right-wing extremists such as the “Freie Sachsen” (free Saxons) still maintain a visible presence at some demonstrations, claiming to represent a “peace movement”.  The various groups which seek to challenge the legitimacy of the government too remain open to pro-Russian narratives and share them on social networks.

Crime

The safety of women and children who have fled Ukraine remains a top priority. Together with the federal states, cities and towns and civil society, Germany’s Federal Government has been working intensively since the beginning of the war to counter exploitation and human trafficking, especially of women and children. 

Critical infrastructure

In view of the changed security situation, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community has reinforced its efforts to protect critical infrastructure. Our security authorities are vigilant and maintain a special focus on important critical infrastructure. The cyber resilience requirements for critical infrastructure have been expanded, for example to include liquid natural gas (LNG) terminals, and are constantly monitored. The Joint Coordination Task Force for Critical Infrastructure Protection (GEKKIS) was created, led by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. All relevant federal ministries and the Federal Chancellery are members of the task force.

2. Influx of refugees from the Russian war of aggression

According to the Central Register of Foreigners, about 81,600 (7%) of them are children aged five and under, 278,000 (22%) are children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 17, 773,000 (62%) are adults aged 63 and under, and 117,000 (9%) are adults aged 64 or older. Approximately 63% of the refugees are female and 37% are male. Since February 2022, Germany has offered protection to a total of more than 1.65 million people from Ukraine, most of them women and children.

Housing and providing for the refugees is a joint effort by the federal, state and local governments. All levels of government are working together and closely coordinating their action.

Residence and integration 

• In 2022, the number of new participants in integration courses increased rapidly, from some 100,000 per year in 2020 and 2021 to more than 340,000 in 2022. Record enrolment of more than 360,000 was reached in 2023 and 2024. Since 2022, Ukrainian nationals have made up the largest group of participants in integration courses.
• The website de offers a wide range of helpful information for refugees from Ukraine: on entering and residing in Germany and on returning to Ukraine.
• On 15 February 2025, Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks, and Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov signed a declaration of intent to set up “Unity Hubs”, points of contact and assistance for Ukrainians in Germany. The declaration of intent was signed at the margins of the Munich Security Conference in the presence of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

3. Assistance from Germany

The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) coordinates all responses to requests for assistance made through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. To date, the BBK and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) have organised 597 aid transports to Ukraine. Approximately 241.5 million euros’ worth of aid has been provided so far (including major donations, primarily medical supplies, medications, vans and other motor vehicles, equipment for CBRN countermeasures and support for the energy sector). 

The relief effort by the THW during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the largest logistical operation in the agency’s history. The relief supplies primarily support the areas near the front lines as well as Ukraine’s civil protection and disaster response agencies, which include the fire and emergency medical services.

The THW has provided Ukraine with the following supplies, among others:

• more than 330 motor vehicles and specialised vehicles, such as large tipper trucks, vans, aerial work platforms, Unimog tractors and trucks, suction flushing vehicles, tankers and water tankers;
• more than 30 fire-fighting vehicles, such as vehicles for technical rescue, vehicles with turntable ladders and vehicles to fight wildfires;
• nearly 130 construction vehicles, such as tracked excavators and other tracked vehicles, backhoe loaders, telescopic wheel loaders and demolition excavators;
• equipment and supplies: 2,800 fire-hoses, 20 mobile refuelling stations and tools for technical assistance;
• equipment selected for mobile construction crews deployed in frontline and newly liberated towns and cities, and mobile tool containers for repairs; 
• energy: some 1,300 15–1250 kVA generators, 400 5–10 kVA generators and 20 energy storage devices;
• heat: more than 1,100 mobile heating devices;
• housing: some 30 modular housing blocks, 8 sanitary cabins with showers, 180 tents, 8 field kitchens and sleeping bags, sleeping mats and blankets;
• CBRN protection: 1,600 protective suits, 8,000 disposable protective suits, 4,500 masks, 24,000 filters for masks and additional protective supplies such as gloves and rubber boots;
• water supply: sophisticated laboratory equipment, 12 deep well pumps, 3 mobile water treatment units, portable water tanks and some 5,000 mobile water filters (drip filters).

Patients admitted for medical treatment

Since March 2022, German hospitals have admitted and treated ill, injured and wounded Ukrainians. Germany’s major aid organisations (the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, German Red Cross, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, Malteser Hilfsdienst and Deutsche-Lebensrettungs-Gesellschaft) have coordinated with the Federal Ministry of the Interior to transport patients between Ukraine and Germany as needed and provide social support during their stay in Germany.

Within this framework, to date Germany has admitted 1,356 patients from Ukraine (military personnel and civilians) and conducted 178 escorted transports of patients between Ukraine and Germany.

4. Police and forensic support for investigating war crimes

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has so far supplied goods and services valued at more than 22 million euros (including 14.4 million euros from the Federal Foreign Office’s budget) for its partner agencies in Ukraine. In addition to providing explosives disposal equipment, vehicles and other command, control and operational equipment and supplies, the BKA has also assisted with forensics in the recovery of physical evidence, in documentation and in explosives disposal.

Since the Russian war of aggression began, the Federal Police have helped Ukraine’s border guard with extensive equipment aid worth a total of 69.4 million euros to date (including 38.95 million euros from the budget of the Federal Foreign Office). For 2025, additional support from the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police is planned.