'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze

The future was just starting to appear bright for Mykyta Zakharchenko. The 18-year-old's youth in Ukraine was shadowed by two major conflicts with Russia before he escaped to Canada in 2022. With harrowing experiences of war behind him, he recently graduated high school, competes internationally as a rower and is determined to study finance in a few years. But a recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made him feel less certain of his next steps - and worried he could be pulled back to the war.