‘No Other Option’ – Budanov Says Ukraine Will Need Foreign Specialists

Ukraine will need foreign workers to rebuild its postwar economy in addition to Ukrainians returning from abroad, according to Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President.

Budanov argues that the country’s demographic decline has left it with no alternative.

Speaking to students at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Budanov said Ukraine’s shrinking population has created a demographic burden on the workforce that cannot be solved simply by increasing labor productivity.

He said that Ukraine had a population of about 52 million people in 1995-96, which has since declined to “significantly fewer.”

“There are significantly fewer of us now. I don’t want to scare anyone, but significantly fewer,” he said.

According to him, labor shortages are already being felt even while the country remains at war.

Budanov said Ukraine would need to pursue two parallel approaches: encourage citizens who left the country to return and recruit qualified specialists from abroad.

“We will have to bring our citizens back and attract specialists from different parts of the world. There will be no other option,” he said, as reported by local outlet RBC-Ukraine.

More than 5.7 million Ukrainians have fled abroad due to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion as of early June, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament’s commissioner for human rights.

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Despite the demographic challenges, Budanov said he believes the trend can eventually be reversed.

“If we create the right economic climate here and a sense of security, then we can start working on it. Without the economy, nothing will happen,” he said.

Budanov argued that if Ukraine could lose millions of people over roughly 25 years, it could also rebuild its population under the right conditions.

He also addressed claims circulating online about the alleged mass arrival of migrants in Ukraine.

Budanov called them an informational campaign against Ukraine, saying the country has historically been home to people of different ethnicities and religions living together peacefully. He said both public awareness and better communication would be needed to counter such narratives.

“We need both explanatory work and public awareness. Without that, nothing will happen. If you want someone to deceive you, you will be deceived,” Budanov said.

Protests against migrants

Ukraine experienced a surge of anti-migrant rhetoric in early May after videos of Indian and Bangladeshi migrant workers began circulating on social media.

Many posts falsely claimed that migrants in Ukraine were earning monthly salaries of Hr.35,000 ($800), while Ukrainians allegedly received only Hr.12,000 ($273). Much of this content was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and spread through Telegram.

The campaign culminated in small protests in several major Ukrainian cities. Subsequent research, however, pointed to possible Russian involvement, finding that similar narratives had appeared in other countries and were amplified by anti-government and pro-Russian separatist groups.

There are currently just over 11,000 labor migrants in Ukraine as of 2026, according to Vasyl Voskoboinyk, president of the All-Ukrainian Association of International Employment Companies.

Ukraine currently has approximately 200,000-250,000 foreign nationals, or about one in every 100 residents, based on a population of around 25 million in government-controlled territory.

Foreign recruits fighting in Ukraine

Ukraine is also planning to open its military recruitment system to foreign nationals and aims to have foreigners fill as many as half of all assault and infantry positions in its armed forces, according to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Fedorov said the government’s goal is for foreign nationals to occupy between 30% and 50% of assault and infantry positions.

The proposal is part of a broader effort to strengthen combat units while reducing the burden on Ukrainian troops, Fedorov said in a statement.

“We are opening the foreign recruitment market to strengthen combat units and preserve the lives of Ukrainian service members,” Fedorov said.

The changes came after the International Legion – a military formation for foreign recruits created at the onset of Russia’s 2022 invasion – was dissolved in February, with foreign fighters reassigned to regular assault units.

Fedorov also said the government plans to begin gradually releasing from military service those who have spent the longest time in Ukraine’s armed forces and have served the most time in combat. The process is expected to start before the end of the year.