Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said that about 1.5 million Ukrainians deported to Russia cannot return to Ukraine, the government portal reported on its website.

"About 1.5 million citizens, most of whom are women and children, are on the territory of the Russian Federation without the opportunity to return home, and their relatives are trying to establish contact with them," Stefanishyna said on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

According to her, "it is important to use all available international instruments for the protection of fundamental human rights and to redouble our joint efforts to prevent the violent exploitation of Ukrainian citizens."