Overview

• By the end of August 2025, 3,257 applications for conscientious objection had been lodged, already surpassing the full‑year 2024 total by 9.2%.
• The BAFzA has approved 2,071 applications so far this year, with 104 formal objections and six lawsuits recorded across last year and this year.
• Most filings in 2025 came from men without prior service (2,266) and reservists (856), rather than active-duty personnel.
• The current pace marks a sharp rise from roughly 1,100 cases in 2022 and 1,609 in 2023, which coverage connects to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
• Separately, voluntary enlistment registrations are up 19% to about 13,000 by August toward a 15,000 target, as debate intensifies over meeting expansion goals and the Union presses to reconsider conscription.