Residents of the Sumy region who had been forcibly removed from their homes by Russia have returned home
Ukraine has repatriated four more civilians from the Sumy region who were forcibly taken away by Russian troops in 2025. These are elderly people who managed to return after a long period abroad. The return took place as part of humanitarian agreements with the participation of international mediators, according to .
Ukraine continues to repatriate its citizens, and this time four more civilians from the Sumy region, who had been forcibly taken from their homes by Russian troops, were able to return home.
These are people aged 61 to 85 who found themselves outside Ukraine in 2025 as a result of actions by the Russian side. After a lengthy coordination process, they have already returned to Ukrainian territory and will soon be reunited with their families. “Today, in addition to Ukrainian military personnel, we were able to bring home four civilians from the Sumy region who were forcibly taken from their homes by Russian troops in 2025,” the statement reads.
The return was made possible through the prior work of the humanitarian mechanism involving representatives engaged in the dialogue between the parties. In particular, the process took place with the participation of Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova on the territory of Belarus, as well as representatives of the Belarusian side, who facilitated the handover.
The Ukrainian side emphasizes that such cases constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the forced displacement of civilians during wartime.
Despite this, Ukraine continues its efforts to repatriate its citizens who, as a result of the war, found themselves in territories outside its control or were forcibly taken away. “Ukraine works every day to bring everyone home. I welcome our citizens back to Ukraine,” said Dmytro Lubinets.
Ukraine has repatriated a National Guard soldier from Russian captivity who was serving at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during its occupation. He was one of the defenders released as part of the large-scale “1,000 for 1,000” prisoner exchange.
During the first phase of the large-scale prisoner exchange, 20 soldiers from the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” returned to Ukraine, 19 of whom were defenders of Mariupol and had spent nearly four years in Russian captivity.
Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner-of-war exchange in a 205-for-205 format, according to preliminary data from reports by the Russian side and Telegram channels. Official details regarding the location, time, and lists of participants are currently being clarified.
Ukraine has managed to repatriate over 9,000 of its citizens from Russian captivity, including both military personnel and hundreds of civilians. This was reported by Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, who emphasized that efforts to bring people home are ongoing.
In 2025, Ukraine recorded a record number of civilian deaths since the start of the full-scale war. According to official data, Russia remains the biggest violator of human rights, and the number of victims and the extent of destruction continue to rise.
