Politico: The number of Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia in search of safety in the countries of the European Union has risen to the highest level in the last two years, after Kyiv changed the rules allowing more young people to leave the country.

In September, EU countries granted 79,205 new temporary protection decisions to Ukrainians - representing a 49% increase compared to the level in August and the largest monthly increase since August 2023. The increase occurred after Ukraine allowed men aged between 18 and 22 to leave the country freely.

At the end of September, 4.3 million Ukrainians were under temporary protection in the EU, a special status designed to cope with the massive influx of displaced persons who cannot return home.