More Ukrainian refugees have to return to occupied territories — human rights ombudsman

Source: Dmytro Lubinets/Telegram

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, has raised concerns over the increasing number of internally displaced Ukrainians who are returning to temporarily occupied territories (TOT) and front-line cities. He admitted this upsetting trend sees people having to go back as they can’t fit in in the new places.

Speaking at “Dis(united): Rethinking Societal Resilience in Ukraine” on October 22, Lubinets said there were hardly any issues reported in the early months of 2022 but the situation worsened after some stories on social media amplified misundestandings between host communities and refugees.

“Currently, we see a worrying trend — the number of internally displaced people is decreasing because they are returning to occupied and front-line areas facing social and economic hardships in their new locations,” Lubinets emphasized.

He argued that goverment is well aware of the problems but people need to be better informed about refugee benefit, which can help “restore the confidence of Ukrainian citizens in their future”.