Ukraine brings home 10 young people from Russian-controlled areas

According to Ukrinform, the announcement was made on Telegram by Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets.

“Since March 2026, with the assistance of the Ombudsman’s Office, ten young Ukrainians have been able to leave temporarily occupied territories and Russia and return home to Ukraine. Special thanks go to the international company MHP and its founder and CEO Yurii Kosiuk. Thanks to their support, the evacuation became possible,” Lubinets wrote.

He specified that the group consisted of ten young men and women aged between 18 and 19.

“Despite spending years under occupation, they want to study at Ukrainian universities, live in a free society, and build their careers here in their own country. For them, returning has meant gaining the opportunity to determine their own future,” the Ombudsman noted.

Lubinets also shared the story of a young man who was only 14 when his hometown came under occupation.

“His sister managed to leave and settle in Odesa, while he remained with his parents, who were caring for a seriously ill grandmother. With each passing year, he felt more strongly that he saw no future for himself under occupation. He saw no opportunities for development, education, or freedom. That is why he made the difficult but conscious decision to return to Ukraine. Today, he is reunited with his sister in Odesa,” Lubinets wrote.

The Ombudsman stressed that occupation is not only about checkpoints and restrictions but also about living without a sense of future.

“It is about fear, about the constant feeling that your choices, your freedom, and even your dreams no longer belong to you. That is why every return of our people to territory controlled by Ukraine is so important,” he added.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Lubinets has said that there have been several cases in which Ukrainian children were returned from Russia after having been adopted there.

Photo: Bring Kids Back UA (illustrative image)