Another 15 Ukrainians return from temporarily occupied territories — Lubinets

Another 15 Ukrainian citizens have returned from territories temporarily occupied by Russia.

According to Ukrinform, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets announced this on Telegram.

"This time, 15 citizens returned to territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. The oldest is 96 years old, and the youngest is 49. The international company of Ukrainian origin MHP and its founder and CEO Yuriy Kosiuk played an important role in this process. I sincerely thank them for their support, assistance, and concern," Lubinets said.

Among those returned were a 96-year-old woman, her daughter, and her son-in-law from the temporarily occupied village of Zaliznyi Port in Kherson region. The woman required constant assistance, while her son-in-law was using an Ilizarov apparatus.

A 74-year-old man from Kakhovka was also returned. His son had been held captive in Russia, so the father had been afraid to leave because he did not want to put his son at risk. Only in 2025, after his son was released, did he decide to leave. By then, however, his own health had deteriorated sharply. He is now under medical supervision, receiving help to restore his documents and stabilize his condition.

"For some people, the return begins without documents — they were lost or have expired. In occupied territory, even a Ukrainian passport, which should simply be a document, can become a source of new difficulties," the ombudsman said.

Lubinets thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Charitable Foundation "Caritas Ukraine," representatives of government agencies, humanitarian organizations, medical professionals, social workers, and all specialists helping Ukrainian citizens return home.

As Ukrinform reported, another eight Ukrainians had previously been brought home from temporarily occupied territories.