Editor's note: Maksym Tkachenko later walked back on his statement, saying that no reliable data supporting the figure exists. He called this figure an "unfounded and emotional assumption." We have reported on the latest developments here: MP walks back his statement on number of IDPs returning to occupied territories.
About 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have already returned to Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, lawmaker Maksym Tkachenko said in an interview with the news outlet Ukrinform published Nov. 24.
There are nearly 5 million IDPs currently registered in Ukraine, including 3.6 million who fled or were forced from their homes after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the Social Policy Ministery.
"About 150,000 internally displaced persons have already returned to the temporarily occupied territories," said Tkachenko, who serves in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on a committee focused on human rights and the liberation of occupied territories.
The figure includes around 70,000 who have returned to the southern city of Mariupol, which was occupied by Russian forces in May 2022 after a months-long siege.
Of the approximately 200,000 people who fled Mariupol after the launch of the full-scale war, one third have now returned to the occupied city, Tkachenko said.
"According to estimates, this is approximately 67-70,000 people. In my opinion, these are terrible figures," he said.
Inadequate support from the state is part of what prompts people to return to Russian-occupied areas, Tkachenko said. IDPs require more resources and government assistance in order to integrate into new communities.
Many IDPs face difficulties securing housing and employment after fleeing their homes.
The problem of mass displacement in Ukraine continues to grow, as Russia's ongoing advance in the east leads to more civilian evacuations. Russia now occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
