Key facts
- 41 Ukrainian citizens returned from occupied territories in August and September.
- The returns occurred via a Volyn border crossing.
- A family reunited after the father's release from Russian captivity.
- Russian forces are blocking humanitarian aid to occupied Oleshky.
- Oleshky's population has fallen from 24,000 to about 2,000.
Forty-one Ukrainian citizens, including four children and five teenagers, were returned from Russian-occupied territories through a Volyn border crossing in August and September, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on October 2.
Among those returned was a family that had reunited after their father had been released from Russian captivity. Their eldest son had also been held captive since April 17, 2022. The mother and youngest son were previously confined to a facility against their will and subjected to forced treatment by occupation authorities under the guise of medical care, Lubinets stated.
A young medical worker was also returned to Ukraine shortly before she would have been mobilized into Russia's armed forces, according to Lubinets.
Lubinets also highlighted the severe humanitarian situation in occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, located less than 4 kilometers from the regional center of Kherson. Russian forces are reportedly preventing Ukraine and international humanitarian organizations from accessing the occupied territories to provide aid. Residents of Oleshky have reported critical food shortages due to a lack of supplies, with only a small number of residents managing to evacuate.
The population of Oleshky has significantly decreased from around 24,000 to approximately 2,000 as of spring 2026, according to the Foreign Ministry. The fate of thousands of Ukrainians currently in captivity or living under occupation remains uncertain, with Ukrainian authorities stating that up to 16,000 Ukrainians are considered missing, while Russia is holding thousands of Ukrainian civilians in detention.