Denmark wants to limit protection for Ukrainians arriving from 14 regions that its immigration authorities consider less affected by the war, while extending the country’s special residence scheme for displaced Ukrainians until March 2028. The government says the change is intended to reduce pressure on municipalities, which currently host around 47,600 displaced Ukrainians, but the proposal has raised concerns over whether areas exposed to Russian air attacks can meaningfully be considered safe.
The government announced the proposed changes on 22 August. Under the plan, Ukrainians who were living in one of the designated regions would no longer normally qualify for a temporary residence permit under Denmark’s Ukraine Special Act (Ukrainesærloven). The Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration announced the proposal on 22 August
According to TV 2, a broad majority in the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) is prepared to support an adjustment of the rules. The restrictions would apply to future applicants and would not affect Ukrainians already living in Denmark under the special scheme.
Denmark identifies 14 less war-affected Ukrainian regions
The Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) currently considers 14 Ukrainian regions to be less affected by the war: Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv Oblast, Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zakarpattia and Zhytomyr. Kyiv Oblast is included, but the city of Kyiv itself is not.
People who were resident in these areas would therefore no longer have access to the facilitated residence procedure provided by the Ukraine Special Act if the government’s proposal becomes law.
Minister for Immigration and Integration (udlændinge- og integrationsminister) Morten Bødskov said the measure is partly intended to relieve municipalities after more than four years of receiving people displaced by the Russian invasion.
“Municipalities currently have around 47,600 displaced Ukrainians living in them, and some municipalities are under severe pressure,” Bødskov said in the government’s announcement. He added that the aim is for the facilitated rules to apply only to Ukrainians “who are most in need of protection.”
The government argues that conditions in different parts of Ukraine now need to be assessed separately rather than treating the entire country in the same way. It also points to Norway and Switzerland, which have introduced geographical restrictions on access to their respective protection schemes.
Ukrainian teacher warns that air attacks remain a risk
The distinction between more and less war-affected regions has been criticised by Alina Protsyk, a Ukrainian living in Denmark who teaches Ukrainian pupils aged between 13 and 16.
Speaking to TV 2, Protsyk argued that apparently normal daily life in parts of western and central Ukraine does not mean civilians are free from the consequences of the war. Air attacks can still force residents into shelters, disrupt nights at home and expose children to prolonged insecurity. TV 2 reported Protsyk’s criticism and the government’s reasoning
“There are constantly attacks from the air, so there may be a need to flee,” she told the broadcaster. She also warned that children risk developing war-related trauma while living in areas that may still be bombed.
Bødskov acknowledged that the decision involves a difficult trade-off. He told TV 2 that the security situation in Ukraine can change and that Danish authorities would continue reassessing conditions. At the same time, he argued that reducing new arrivals could allow municipalities to concentrate more resources on integrating Ukrainians who are already in Denmark.
How EU temporary protection for Ukrainians works
The broader European system was created under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, an emergency mechanism designed for situations in which large numbers of displaced people arrive from a non-EU country and the ordinary asylum system risks becoming overwhelmed. The EU activated it for the first time on 4 March 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It allows eligible displaced people to receive residence rights without going through the ordinary individual asylum procedure and provides access to employment, accommodation, healthcare and education. The European Commission explains how temporary protection works
In July 2026, EU governments agreed to extend that temporary protection for another year, until 4 March 2028. At the end of June, around 4.41 million people were covered by temporary protection across the EU.
Denmark is an exception. Because of its opt-out from parts of EU justice and home affairs cooperation, Denmark is not legally bound by the Temporary Protection Directive or by the EU decision extending it until 2028. Instead, the Danish Parliament adopted its own Ukraine Special Act in March 2022, creating a comparable national system of temporary residence for people displaced from Ukraine. The government now wants to extend that law until March 2028, broadly maintaining the same timeframe as the rest of the EU.
Copenhagen is tightening the special Ukraine rules
The geographical restriction is part of a wider tightening of the Danish framework. Before the summer, the government also proposed excluding Ukrainians subject to military obligations in Ukraine from obtaining residence under the special law unless they can document an exemption. The Danish Immigration Service outlined the proposed restrictions for Ukrainians with military obligations
The new proposal would additionally bring Ukrainians receiving cash benefits under the same work requirements applied to other recipients and abolish some special education rules that currently allow displaced Ukrainian pupils to receive teaching in English or Ukrainian and participate in remote education from Ukraine.
For the Danish government, the changes are intended to move from a broad emergency response towards a more selective system based on individual circumstances and conditions in different parts of Ukraine. The central question will be how Danish authorities define areas as sufficiently removed from the war when Russian missile and drone attacks continue to reach regions far from the front line.
