23 Ukrainians were returned home from the occupied territories
Over the past two weeks, 23 citizens have been successfully evacuated from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Among them are elderly people, Ukrainians with limited mobility, people with health issues, and families with children. The oldest person evacuated is 88 years old, and the youngest is 11.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, announced the return of the Ukrainians. According to him, over the past two weeks, with the assistance of the Ombudsman’s Office, 23 Ukrainian citizens were returned home. A large group of 16 people was evacuated the day before.
Among those who left the temporarily occupied territories were elderly people, citizens with limited mobility, Ukrainians with health issues, and families with children. “Over the past two weeks, with the assistance of the Ombudsman’s Office, we were able to return 23 citizens home, and just yesterday we evacuated a large group of Ukrainians—16 people. These are elderly people, citizens with limited mobility, Ukrainians with health issues, and families with children. And each of them required a specific route, specific documents, specific solutions, and specific assistance,” Lubinets said.
The Ombudsman thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross, with which the evacuation was carried out, as well as “Caritas Ukraine” for their assistance in bringing people home.
Among those returned is an 11-year-old boy
The oldest person who has been repatriated so far is 88 years old. The youngest Ukrainian is only 11 years old. The boy has diabetes and requires constant insulin. Because of this, his return required additional preparation.
“This is a boy who has diabetes and requires constant insulin therapy. We were able to organize his return along with that of his family, and we also ensured that the necessary insulin was prepared in advance so that the difficult journey would not lead to a deterioration in the child’s health,” Lubinets said. Along with the boy, his family was also successfully evacuated. The necessary medications were prepared in advance so that the journey from the occupied territory would not pose an additional threat to his health.
A 17-year-old boy returned on his birthday
Among those evacuated was a 17-year-old boy who celebrated his birthday on the day of his return. He and his family had been living under Russian occupation for a long time. Despite this, the boy’s parents tried to ensure that he did not lose touch with the Ukrainian education system. After 9th grade, the young man studied remotely at a Ukrainian educational institution for three years. He later even enrolled in a Ukrainian university.
“He and his family were under occupation for a long time, but his parents made every effort to ensure he could continue his studies at a Ukrainian educational institution. So after 9th grade and for the past three years, the young man studied remotely and even enrolled in a Ukrainian university here,” Lubinets said. Now the young man will be able to meet his classmates, with whom he studied remotely for three years.
His older sister was also waiting for him in territory controlled by Ukraine. She had left her hometown even before the temporary occupation began. After the evacuation, the family was finally able to reunite.
Each person’s return requires individual effort
Lubinec emphasized that evacuating people from the occupied territories is not simply a matter of organizing their departure. For each person or family, issues related to documentation, travel routes, safety, and medical care must be addressed individually.
Ukrainian government agencies, international organizations, and humanitarian partners are involved in this work. “Behind every such return is individualized work with families, resolving documentation and organizational issues, and coordination with Ukrainian government agencies, international partners, and humanitarian partners. But we are working and helping Ukrainians,” the Ombudsman emphasized.
As a result, over the past two weeks, 23 Ukrainians have been successfully returned home from the temporarily occupied territories. Among them are children, the elderly, and Ukrainians who require ongoing medical care. Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, reported this on Facebook.
