Another 17 Ukrainians were returned from the territories occupied by Russia – Lubinets

“Thanks to the efforts of state bodies, employees of our Office, volunteers and international partners, we managed to return 17 more citizens of Ukraine from the occupation,” Lubinets said.

According to him, “a man who lost a limb due to shelling and suffered brutal treatment due to deprivation of personal freedom as a result of armed aggression against Ukraine. Now he is undergoing rehabilitation.”

Also, according to Lubinets, from the territories occupied by the Russian Federation returned:

• Three families from the Kherson region, which were under occupation for a long time. One of the families lost their mother, the other needed medical assistance due to old age.
• A couple from Crimea, “who left the peninsula because of their love for Ukraine and their disapproval of the mess made by the Russian authorities.”
• An elderly woman with her daughter, “who alone made a difficult journey through the territory of the aggressor country to return home.”
• An elderly man with a disability who has visual impairments and needs medical assistance and special care.
• A 77-year-old woman who managed to be evacuated from the zone of active hostilities and who needs medical care due to chronic diseases.
• A man who had been in the occupied territory for almost 3 years and expressed a desire to leave for the sake of his future.
• Two women “who for a long time have been waiting for the opportunity to return to the territory controlled by Ukraine.”

Earlier, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that at least six mayors and heads of communities are in Russian captivity.

“The other day it became known that the mayor of one of the occupied Ukrainian cities, the mayor of Dniprorudny, in Zaporozhye, died in Russian captivity. Evgeny Matveev. And he was captured back in March 2022 when he was trying to help people in his community. Currently, at least six mayors of cities and heads of communities are also in Russian captivity,” Zelenskyy said in a video message to the human rights community.