Fifteen Ukrainians have been returned from the occupied territories, including a 96-year-old woman

Another 15 citizens have returned to territory controlled by Ukraine from the temporarily occupied territories. Among them are elderly people and those with serious health problems.

This was reported by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights.

The oldest person to return is 96 years old, and the youngest is 49.

According to Lubinets, it is particularly difficult for people who, due to age, illness, or limited mobility, cannot make the journey on their own to escape the occupation.

Among those who returned are a 96-year-old woman from the village of Zaliznyi Port in the Kherson region, her daughter, and her son-in-law. Under occupation, the family lived amid shelling, power outages, and food shortages. The woman required constant care, and her son-in-law used an Ilizarov frame to walk, so they were unable to leave on their own.

The family is now in territory controlled by Ukraine, where their grandson was waiting for them.

Another man—a 74-year-old resident of Kakhovka—remained in the occupied territory for years out of concern for his son. His son was being held captive by the Russians, so the father did not dare to leave.

After his son’s release in 2025, the man decided to leave the occupied territory, but by that time his health had significantly deteriorated. He suffered a severe stroke and now has partial right-sided paralysis and inflammation of the submandibular gland. The man is currently under medical supervision, and he is receiving assistance in renewing his documents and stabilizing his condition.

Lubinec noted that some people are left without valid documents after leaving the occupied territories—they may have lost them, or their validity may have expired.

According to him, the international company MHP, which has Ukrainian roots, and its founder and CEO, Yuriy Kosyuk, played a key role in the return of this group of Ukrainians.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Charitable Foundation “Caritas Ukraine,” government agencies, humanitarian organizations, medical professionals, social workers, and other specialists also joined the effort.

Андрій Колісніченко