Parliament’s latest proposal has left many Ukrainians uncertain of what’s to come

Ukrainian nationals from these regions who currently reside in Denmark will be subject to changes that could result in them being sent back to Ukraine. 

But in the shadow of Russian ballistic missiles that have no trouble reaching Denmark itself, let alone Western Ukraine, where in Ukraine can be called safe? 

From those who’ve seen the war firsthand, the answer is nowhere. 

Liudmyla Radych woke in her home city of Dnipro in Ukraine’s East, on the 24th of February, the first day of Russia’s invasion. 

“The war started in our city with explosions” 

In the early days, Liudmyla Radych sought refuge in Poland, but when Ukrainian troops successfully defended Dnipro, she returned to her city.  

Many Ukrainians were in a state of internal displacement, as millions fled the eastern front, the cities and villages that weren’t equipped to handle the surge were inundated with families seeking refuge from the conflict.  

Liudmyla Radych spoke on what displacement looked like in Dnipro;  

“People who came from the Donetsk region or from the Dnepropetrov region arrived in Dnipro as refugees. And many people I spoke with told me that they are not moving for the first time, having moved from one village to another, then the war catches up with them and they move on.” 

“And there were many strikes, many drones and lockdowns, power outages, a very stressful situation. So I made the decision to take my children and leave until the end of the war.”  

Liudmyla Radych left Dnipro again in late 2025, Figures from ACLED estimate that Dnipropetrovsk, the wider region of Dnipro, suffered 3,883 attacks that year. Attacks that include land battles, drone strikes, air strikes, shelling and other explosives. 

The Danish Government swiftly passed The Special Act in 2022, removing barriers for Ukrainians seeking refuge in Denmark. 

But now these policies are under revision, and Ukrainians must face a familiar feeling of uncertainty. 

“No part of the country can be considered safe”

Two changes were made to the Special Act on the 27th of August. The first is to limit the ability of military aged men to obtain residence permits, and the second is to give the Ministry of Immigration and Integration powers to set additional conditions for residence permits in future.  

What is yet to pass is the proposal that 14 regions of Ukraine be classified as “less affected” by the war.  

Said regions are as follows; Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv Province, Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnystia, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Zhytomyr. 

This proposal means that Ukrainians from these regions would be subject to the standard Danish immigration processes. Ukrainians currently residing in Denmark who are from these regions would not have their visas extended beyond 2027, requiring them to return to Ukraine. 

A statement from the UNHCR described Danish governments decision “not appropriate”, and that “No part of the country can be considered safe” as Russia’s long-range weaponry can reach all parts of the country. 

“It's simply like scorched earth”

While the western regions experience less attacks than the east, the war has left no region untouched, and no sanctity unviolated. 

Air raid alerts that shut down cities are common and can last up to ten hours at a time.  

“The Russians are destroying power plants, water, heating, these basic utilities. We have power outage schedules” said Liudmyla Radych 

These power outage schedules mean that people have, at most, a few hours of power a day. A few hours to complete every daily necessity that requires electricity. 

Drone strikes occur sporadically across the country, “Drones or bombs can hit any residential building. Near me, I saw not just one, but many destroyed buildings because it can happen anywhere”, said Liudmyla Radych 

Russia attacks small cities and villages with the intention of absolute destruction, according to Liudmyla Radych “They just target every building with bombs to ensure that not a single building remains standing for people to live in […] It’s simply like scorched earth.” 

Marta Turani-Jessen, another volunteer at Ukraine House, was born and lived in Ivano-Frankivsk for the first 28 years of her life. She speaks with her parents who remain there about what life is like. 

“Sometimes it's just black out for most of the day.” 

“And there are rockets that landed in the middle of the city from maybe not every day, but regularly.” 

“Resting a little from the horrors of war”

Denmark has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters since the war began, granting residence permits to over 68,000 refugees and committing €10.3 billion in aid, the largest proportional contribution of any country in the world, amounting to 3% of the country’s GDP.  

“Denmark really supports Ukrainians and helps a lot financially, morally and physically in many different ways,” said Liudmyla Radych. 

“I am very grateful to Denmark, and I'm really resting a little from the horrors of the war right here.” 

“But now new laws are being passed again. And this uncertainty about tomorrow, whether I have to move somewhere else again, what to do, it causes anxiety again. Because as long as the war continues, returning to Ukraine is dangerous.” 

Marta Turani-Jessen echoes this internal conflict; “Of course, the West is definitely in a better situation than the east of Ukraine. That is true. But I don't know if you can say it's totally safe […] because there is still a risk.” 

This proposal will generate criticism and support from all angles of the political spectrum, but at the centre of the issue remains the families, many who didn’t choose to come to Denmark, but were forced to at gunpoint.