In August–September, 41 Ukrainian citizens returned from the occupation through the "Mokrany–Domanove" crossing point in Volyn. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported this, according to UNN.
With the assistance of the Ombudsman’s Office and partner organizations, 41 Ukrainian citizens returned this year in August–September through the "Mokrany–Domanove" crossing point in Volyn. They included four children and five teenagers
In addition
The Ombudsman also shared several stories of Ukrainians who managed to return from the occupation:
- one family was able to return after the father was released from captivity. Their eldest son has remained in captivity since April 17, 2022. The woman and her younger son were under the constant supervision of the occupying authorities’ medical and law-enforcement services. According to them, they had previously been placed in a place of detention under the pretext of providing medical assistance, where they were held against their will and subjected to forced treatment. Now they were able to return to Ukraine;
- among those who returned was also a young female medic. She was evacuated on the eve of her actual mobilization into the armed formations of the aggressor state. A little more time, and her life could have followed a scenario imposed on her in the occupation;
- another man in the temporarily occupied territories was detained several times and held in basements. His Ukrainian citizen’s passport was confiscated. For him, returning meant not only crossing the border, but also once again having the opportunity to freely manage his own life.
Lubinets emphasized that such stories show that occupation is not merely territory on a map. It is the loss of freedom, documents, housing, work, contact with loved ones, and a sense of security.
He recalled that the situation remains particularly acute in Oleshky and the surrounding settlements of the Kherson region. Elderly people, people with disabilities, the sick, and families living amid constant danger and limited access to food, water, medicine, medical care, and communications remain there. Safe evacuation remains extremely difficult for them.
The Ombudsman’s Office receives daily appeals from people who want to leave the occupation. We process every appeal, look for routes, engage government and international partners, and work through third countries. Because behind every appeal is a specific person and their right to return home. Volyn is one such route today. The "Mokrany–Domanove" crossing point is a place where, after months or years of occupation, people begin their return to free Ukrainian soil and subsequent recovery