Ukraine brings home seven civilians from Russia in reciprocal return arrangement
Ukraine has brought home seven civilians from Russia, while seven other people traveled to Russia under a reciprocal humanitarian arrangement aimed at reuniting families, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said on October 23.
The returns were arranged through communication with Russia's human rights commissioner, Yana Lantratova, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), according to Lubinets.
Among those who returned to Ukraine were a 90-year-old woman with limited mobility and a 50-year-old Ukrainian woman who had suffered a heart attack and a stroke. Special transportation arrangements were made to accommodate their medical needs.
A young woman and her child were also reunited with their family in Ukraine. The woman had been staying temporarily in Mariupol when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Fighting and the subsequent Russian occupation prevented her from leaving, while difficulties obtaining documentation for her child further complicated their return.
Lubinets said the mother and child were now safely back in Ukraine but needed psychological support.
“Behind every such return are people who need help and families waiting for their loved ones,” he said, pledging to continue the humanitarian effort.