On September 19, 2026, another 15 citizens who had remained on the temporarily occupied territories managed to return to the area under Ukraine's control. This was announced by Dmytro Lubinets, the Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, in his Telegram channel, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. Among those who returned were people aged between 49 and 96, each of whom had spent months or even years on occupied land under conditions incompatible with normal life.
The Family from Zheleznyi Port: 96 Years Under Shelling
The oldest among those who returned was a 96-year-old resident of Zheleznyi Port village in Kherson Oblast. She left for safe territory together with her daughter and son-in-law. According to Lubinets, the family had been living for a long time under constant shelling, power outages, and a severe shortage of food. The elderly woman required constant care, and her son-in-law moved using an Ilizarov apparatus, which made it impossible for him to independently make his way to safe territory. The family's grandson was already waiting for his relatives on the free territory: the man was finally able to reunite with his loved ones and personally look after them.
74 Years of Waiting: The Story of a Resident of Kherson
Another story cited by the Ombudsman belongs to a 74-year-old man from Kherson. For many years he had not left the occupied territory, fearing that his departure could harm his son, who was being held captive. Only after his son's release in 2025 did the man decide to leave. By that time, his health had deteriorated significantly: he had suffered a severe stroke, as a result of which he developed partial paralysis on the right side, as well as inflammation of the lower jaw gland. He is currently under medical observation, and help is being provided to restore his documents and stabilize his health. Ahead lies a reunion with his relatives, which he had been waiting for for many years.
Documents as a Barrier: The Bureaucracy Problem in the Occupied Zones
Lubinets separately highlighted a systemic problem faced by a significant portion of returning citizens: "For some people, the return begins without documents — they were lost or have already expired. Under occupation, even a Ukrainian passport, which should simply be a document, can become a cause of new difficulties." The Ombudsman expressed his gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the MBF "Caritas Ukraine," representatives of state bodies, humanitarian organizations, medical workers, social workers, and all specialists involved in the return of citizens. "The work continues — for those who have returned and for those who are still waiting for the opportunity to return home," he concluded.
Context: Oleshky and Russia's "Elections"
The day before September 19, Lubinets publicly addressed citizens of Ukraine remaining on the occupied territories in connection with Russia's holding of "elections" to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. In addition, the Ombudsman reported that the Russians are obstructing the evacuation of residents of Oleshky, and that, according to his data, more than six thousand people may still remain in the city. Thus, the return of 15 citizens on September 19 was only a small part of the ongoing humanitarian process, in which, according to estimates by Ukrainian authorities, tens of thousands of residents still remain on the occupied territories.
