Denmark proposes ending protections for Ukrainians fleeing draft

Copenhagen plans to stop granting emergency residence permits to military-age men fleeing the country

The Danish government has proposed stripping military-age Ukrainians of refugee protections in an effort to help Kiev combat draft dodging.

Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60 are subject to mobilization, while nearly all men aged 22 to 60 are barred from leaving the country.

The Danish authorities want to amend a special law passed in 2022 to make Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 ineligible for temporary residence permits unless they have been granted an exemption from military service. Ukrainian men under 23 would only be granted residence permits until they reach draft age.

“Denmark stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in its fight for freedom. That is why we are now changing the Ukraine Special Act, because it was never intended for our residence rules to be used to avoid mobilization into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Doing so undermines Ukraine’s war effort and weakens the country’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks,” Danish Immigration Minister Morten Bodskov said on Thursday.

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As of May 2026, around 47,600 Ukrainians living in Denmark had been granted residence permits under the Ukraine Special Act, Bodskov said.

Ukraine has struggled to replenish losses as Russian troops continue to advance steadily along the front line. The so-called “busification” campaign, in which draft officers ambush men on the streets and outside their homes and use violence against those who resist, has regularly sparked protests and outrage on social media. Some recruits and their families have accused officials of ignoring medical conditions and using torture in enlistment offices.

The conscription crisis has prompted several of Ukraine’s European backers to review their asylum laws. Earlier this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to restrict protections for Ukrainians, arguing that young men were needed in their home country.

Several news outlets reported last week that the European Commission had urged EU member states to introduce restrictions on accepting Ukrainian refugees.

Public support for Ukrainians living in Poland has been declining, as the two neighbors are currently feuding over Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to honor World War II-era nationalist militias responsible for massacring Polish civilians.