Ukrainian refugee rejects call to arms despite new Danish residency restrictions

Yaroslav Zabyshnyi, a 20-year-old Ukrainian refugee in Ikast, Denmark, says he wants to help his country but cannot bring himself to fight, a stance now complicated by a new Danish law that will bar most Ukrainian men aged 23–60 from obtaining residency permits under the country’s special protection scheme.

The legislation, proposed by Integration Minister Morten Bødskov, aims to bolster Ukraine’s mobilization efforts by restricting access to Danish residency for Ukrainian men of fighting age. The change applies to new applicants but does not affect those already granted permits under the law, which has so far provided protection to 70,793 Ukrainians, a majority of them women.

“I try not to think about it too much,” Zabyshnyi said. “My thoughts don’t help anyone. I can’t help with my thoughts.” He fled Ukraine at 15 from the Bucha region, arriving in Denmark at the start of the war. Now integrated into Danish life, he has completed his International Baccalaureate and a preparatory education program, works cleaning jobs and at a manufacturing company, and considers Denmark his new home.

His Danish friend Torsten Nielsen, a retired teacher, said he could not bear the thought of Zabyshnyi being sent to the front, even as he acknowledged the moral weight of the situation. “If military service were voluntary for everyone, Putin would win,” Nielsen said.

Zabyshnyi expressed deep admiration for Ukrainians who remain to fight, calling them “superheroes” sacrificing everything for peace and freedom. “It’s touching, but it also makes me a little sad,” he said. “I’m safe here in Denmark.” He added that he would be a poor soldier: “I’m not a superhero, and I can’t imagine killing anyone.” Instead, he and Nielsen support the war effort by collecting used tires for military vehicles in central Jutland.

The bill is expected to pass its third reading on 27 August and take effect from its introduction date of 25 June. The special law, originally set to expire on 17 March 2027, has been temporarily extended.