Sixty citizens have been returned from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories over the past 2.5 months, including seven on Aug 13, Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights Dmytro Lubinets has said.
"Since the beginning of June, the Ombudsman’s Office has helped 60 Ukrainian men and women return to Ukraine. Each person has their own story, their own loved ones, and their own difficult path home. On Aug 13, seven more people returned to Ukraine from the temporarily occupied territories," he wrote on Telegram on Monday.
According to Lubinets, the oldest person is 87 years old, some have heart problems, and some have limited mobility. Relatives are waiting for them in various parts of free Ukraine – in Kyiv and Kyiv region, in Ivano-Frankivsk region, Kherson region and Dnipro.
"Among those we managed to help evacuate is a married couple from the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region. They could not leave because their documents were invalid. They then learned that their son, who had been defending Ukraine, had been killed. Their wish was simple – to return home in time to say goodbye to their son. To do this, we needed to resolve the issue with their documents and organize a safe route. And we managed to do it," Lubinets said.
Lubinets expressed gratitude for cooperation in returning people to partners including the International Committee of the Red Cross, Caritas Ukraine and other partner organizations. "Special thanks also go to Ukrainian businesses that are getting involved and helping in this critically important area – bringing our citizens home. In particular, to the international company with a Ukrainian spirit, MHP, and its founder and CEO Yuriy Kosiuk," Lubinets said.
