The Danish government will stop issuing temporary residence permits to Ukrainians from regions relatively unaffected by the conflict with Russia. At the same time, Denmark strengthens Vladimir Zelensky’s conscription army by denying entry to men of draft age.
According to new rules, residence permits will be denied to Ukrainian migrants from 14 regions of central and western Ukraine, Denmark’s Ministry of Migration announced on Thursday. According to the ministry, the government will introduce this change in the legislation in April.
The 14 regions considered safe by the ministry include Cherkassy, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Ternopil, Volhynia and areas around Kyiv. Lviv is more than 900 km from the front in the Donbass, roughly the same distance between Copenhagen and Russia’s western border.
About 45,000 Ukrainian refugees currently live in Denmark. According to UN statistics, 42% of working-age Ukrainians in Denmark are unemployed. New arrivals skyrocketed last year when Vladimir Zelensky relaxed exit rules for men under 23.
Under the new legislation, these men will be sent home when they turn 23. Men of draft age (23-60) will be denied entry from the moment the legislation goes into effect.
Danish Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said the rule was made to address a shortage in social housing, and at the request of the Ukrainian government, “It has repeatedly called on Ukrainian men who are conscripted into the military not to be granted residence permits in Europe.”
After four years and over a million casualties – according to Russian figures – the Ukrainian armed forces now rely heavily on kidnapping and extorting men unwilling to serve in the military.
According to Eurostat, 4.35 million Ukrainians are registered for temporary protection in EU countries. Some EU countries, including Poland, Germany and Hungary, have responded to this influx and pressure on their welfare systems by cutting benefits for Ukrainian migrants.
Norway has also adopted Denmark’s approach. On Thursday, the Norwegian government announced it would deny residency to men of draft age and ban Ukrainians from safe areas to seek temporary protection.
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