According to preliminary data, Germany set a new record for the number of citizenships granted in 2025: at least 309,852 people in 14 federal states received German passports, reports RND, citing an investigation by Welt am Sonntag.
Official federal statistics for 2025 have not yet been published, so these are preliminary figures. The tally does not yet include complete data from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt, and for several states, information from cities and districts was used. Even in this incomplete form, the figure already exceeds the previous record set in 2024, when approximately 291,955 foreigners received German citizenship.
The main reasons for the increase were the reform of the citizenship law and the migration waves of the previous decade. Since June 2024, Germany has allowed naturalization after five years of residence instead of the previous eight, and in cases of exceptional integration achievements—in some instances after three years. In addition, the new legislation generally allowed individuals to retain their previous citizenship, which sharply increased the appeal of a German passport for citizens of countries where renouncing their first citizenship had been a deterrent.
According to official Destatis data for 2024, Syrians constituted the largest group of new German citizens—83,150 people, or 28% of all naturalizations. They were followed by citizens of Turkey—22,525, Iraq—13,545, Russia—12,980, and Afghanistan—10,085. The number of naturalizations of Russians rose particularly sharply: from approximately 1,995 in 2023 to 12,980 in 2024, a trend Destatis attributes primarily to the option to retain previous citizenship.
In 2025, according to German media reports, Syrians, Turks, and Russians were again among the largest groups of new citizens. In North Rhine-Westphalia, 3,841 Russian citizens received German passports, a 67.4% increase from the previous year. This state has become one of the largest centers for naturalization in the country: in 2025, 76,156 citizenships were issued there.
Ukrainians are not yet the main driver of the record wave of naturalizations, but their share could rise sharply starting in 2027.
According to the Bundestag, 8,920 Ukrainian citizens received German citizenship in 2024, placing Ukrainians among the top 10 groups of new German citizens. There are currently no separate official federal figures for Ukrainians for 2025 in publicly available statistics.
German municipalities are already anticipating a new surge in applications from Ukrainians. The first major wave of refugees from Ukraine arrived in Germany after February 24, 2022, so by spring 2027, some Ukrainians will have reached the five-year residency requirement necessary to apply for citizenship.
At the same time, RND notes that temporary protection status does not in itself confer an automatic legal entitlement to naturalization, but the possibility of dual citizenship makes applying more attractive.
The Ukrainian community in Germany has become one of the country’s largest foreign groups. According to Destatis, as of November 30, 2025, 1.158 million Ukrainian citizens were living in Germany—more than seven times the number before the start of the full-scale war. By the end of 2024, Ukrainians were the second-largest group of foreigners in Germany after Turkish citizens.
The UK Treasury’s Office of Sanctions has expanded the list of sanctioned companies from Georgia as part of sanctions imposed against Russia, adding three crypto companies to the list, the UK government announced.
“The new measures also target 18 companies and individuals linked to A7. The group uses a Kyrgyz bank suspected of facilitating payments for the network, as well as a major global cryptocurrency exchange that we believe has transferred over $1.5 billion to the Kremlin’s coffers. We are also targeting three Georgian companies that operate exchanges focused on Russia to circumvent sanctions,” according to a statement on the UK government’s website.
According to the document, sanctions have been imposed on Georgia-registered companies providing crypto wallet and cryptocurrency exchange services: Arvix LLC, Rapira Group LLC, and Aifory LLC.
Earlier reports indicated that on Tuesday, UK authorities added 18 individuals and companies to the sanctions list, which Russia allegedly uses to circumvent sanctions previously imposed by London.
A statement released by the UK Treasury notes that “cryptocurrency and illicit financial networks used by Russia to circumvent UK sanctions are under close scrutiny.”
“The new sanctions also target the A7 network, which actively uses Kyrgyzstan’s financial systems to redirect funds into the Russian economy,” the document states.
The measures against crypto companies mark the second instance of the UK government imposing sanctions on Georgian legal entities. Earlier, it was reported that on February 24, the UK government imposed sanctions against the Georgian TV companies Imedi TV and PosTV as part of a package of sanctions against Russia.
The opening of the 14th “Austrian Film Week” festival took place at the ‘Zhovten’ cinema in the capital; the festival will run in Kyiv until May 27 and will subsequently be held in Lviv, Chernivtsi, and Dnipro, the embassy told the agency.
” “In the current very difficult situation for Ukraine, celebrating artistic expression and organizing cultural and social events is an important contribution to the ongoing struggle for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” noted Robert Martin Müller, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Ukraine, during the opening ceremony.
The festival was organized with the support of the Austrian Embassy in Ukraine in collaboration with Arthouse Traffic and with the participation of the general partner, AMIC ENERGY. The opening was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, as well as former German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen, representatives of charitable and public organizations, including Dignitas, the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, the Ukrainian Catholic University, and the Superhumans Center.
The film festival opened with the historical drama Sisi and I, directed by Frauke Finsterwalder and starring Sandra Hüller in the lead role. The film was previously screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The organizers announced that the festival will traditionally include a charitable component: proceeds from ticket sales will be doubled by AMIC ENERGY and directed toward supporting patients at the Superhumans Center. Special screenings for visitors to the center are also planned as part of the event.
“Today, as Ukraine is going through extremely difficult trials, culture and art take on special significance… Ukraine’s greatest strength is its people: brave, talented, and unbreakable,” noted Gintaras Maciauskas, CEO of AMIC ENERGY in Ukraine.
The festival program includes five films—participants in international film festivals, including the Venice International Film Festival and the Locarno International Film Festival:
— Sisi and I;
— Rose;
— The Loneliest Person in Town;
— The Bloody Countess;
— Indian Summer.
The “Austrian Film Week” festival is held in Ukraine every year and introduces Ukrainian audiences to contemporary Austrian cinema.
The technical potential for methane recovery in Ukraine is 2.15–3.08 billion cubic meters per year, which is equivalent to 10–15% of the country’s total natural gas consumption, according to the study “Methane Emissions in Ukraine’s Energy Sector: Underestimated Challenges and Opportunities” by the Green Deal Ukraine (GDU) project, established by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).
The study’s authors are GDU energy and climate specialist Alexander Zichener, GDU energy and climate expert Janez Kopac, and GDU energy expert Oleg Savitsky.
As they noted, at average European gas prices (~EUR360/1,000 cubic meters), this volume is worth EUR750–1,100 million annually, while the investments required to realize this potential total between EUR2.4 and EUR3.6 billion over 10 years, or EUR240–360 million per year.
“If we compare the figures, the economic benefit is clear: investing EUR240–360 million annually in emissions reduction will yield EUR750–1,100 million from the ‘captured’ gas,” the study’s authors emphasized.
They note that the issue of methane recovery is taking on particular importance ahead of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and in the context of post-war reconstruction: harmonizing national legislation with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 on methane emissions in the energy sector is mandatory for a candidate country and a member of the Energy Community. At the same time, reducing methane emissions is one of the fastest and most cost-effective climate measures available to Ukraine during the 2026–2045 period, since over a 20-year period (GWP20), methane is more than 80 times more potent than CO₂ as a greenhouse gas, and by a conservative estimate over a 100-year period (GWP100), it is 30 times more potent.
The study indicates that methane accounts for approximately 27% of Ukraine’s total greenhouse gas emissions (63 million tons of CO₂-eq. in 2023 based on GWP100), and over half of the country’s short-term climate impact based on GWP20. Nearly 71% of national methane emissions come from the energy sector.
For more details on the study and a link to it, see the column for the “Interfax-Ukraine” agency’s energy project “Energoreforma.”
Allegro, Poland’s largest marketplace, plans to introduce delivery from the platform’s Polish sellers to Ukraine starting this June, and to create a separate platform, Allegro.ua, for Ukrainian companies in the future, according to a report by the Polish publication Wiadomosci Handlowe, citing sources.
“We are seeing a clear growth trend in cross-border e-commerce and increasing interest from foreign customers, including those from Ukraine. To support our partners even more effectively in their regional expansion, we are now implementing the first phase of a new delivery method—Allegro International Ukraine,” the article states.
It is noted that in the first phase of launching delivery to Ukraine, several hundred sellers from Poland will join the program.
“As part of the next phase, Allegro will open up to a wider range of Polish sellers who want to reach customers living in Ukraine,” the publication explains.
According to Wiadomosci Handlowe, Allegro’s integration with Ukrainian sellers could take place as early as 2027.
“This would be a turning point and, at the same time, proof that Allegro intends to seriously compete with marketplaces operating in Ukraine, such as Rozetka,” Wiadomosci Handlowe noted.
Overall, the marketplace is currently in the preparatory phase for launching this new initiative, specifically by recruiting partners and providing them with technical and operational support.
It is also specified that Nova Post will handle the delivery of packages from Polish sellers to Ukrainian customers.
Allegro is the largest marketplace in Poland, which also operates in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia.
In 2021, the company announced the acquisition of the Czech e-commerce group Mall Group and the logistics company WE|DO. The deal was finalized in April 2022, allowing the marketplace to enter the markets of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia.
The price of Brent crude oil rose on Tuesday afternoon following reports of new U.S. strikes on Iran.
July Brent futures on the London ICE Futures exchange were up $2.57 (2.67%) to $98.71 per barrel as of 2:32 p.m. local time.
Meanwhile, July WTI crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) are currently down $4.26 (4.41%) to $92.34 per barrel. WTI trading was suspended the previous day due to a U.S. holiday.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), stated that the U.S. military carried out strikes in self-defense “to protect against the threat posed by Iranian forces.” He explained that the strikes targeted anti-aircraft missile launchers and boats that were attempting to lay mines.
In response, the Iranian military warned that a new U.S. attack would not go unanswered, according to the Fars news agency. A senior representative of the local armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, stated that any new aggression against Iran would face a “much harsher” response that would extend beyond the region.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that finalizing the wording of an agreement between Washington and Tehran could take several days. “Some talks took place in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress,” he told reporters in Jaipur during an official visit to India.
The Secretary of State reiterated that U.S. President Donald Trump intends to conclude an agreement with Iran, adding that it is important to restore shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are still awaiting details of a potential deal,” noted Giovanni Staunovo of UBS. “At the same time, we are seeing rising tensions in the Middle East, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted.”
