Ten young people aged 18-19 were evacuated from the occupation and Russia, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported on social media on Thursday, UNN reports.
Ten young people aged 18-19 were evacuated from the occupation and Russia Since March 2026, with the assistance of the Ombudsman's Office, 10 young Ukrainians were able to leave the temporarily occupied territories and the Russian Federation and return home to Ukraine
He expressed gratitude to the international company MHP and its founder and CEO Yuriy Kosiuk: "Thanks to their assistance, the evacuation became possible."
"These are 10 young men and women aged 18-19. Despite years of living 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 became an opportunity to independently determine their own future," the Ombudsman emphasized.
He noted that "the story of a young man who was only 14 at the time of the occupation is particularly touching." "His sister managed to leave and settle in Odesa, while he stayed with his parents, who were caring for a seriously ill grandmother. With each passing year, the young man felt more acutely that he saw no future under occupation. He saw no opportunities for development, education, or freedom. Therefore, he made a difficult but conscious decision to return to Ukraine. Today, he is with his sister in Odesa," Lubinets said.
"Occupation is not just about checkpoints and prohibitions. It is about life without a sense of the future. About fear. About the constant feeling that your choice, your freedom, and even your dream no longer belong to you. That is why every return of our people to the territory controlled by Ukraine is extremely important," the Ombudsman emphasized.
Russia is sending illegally deported children to the war against Ukraine - Budanov01.06.26, 20:48