Approximately 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including about 70,000 people who have gone back to occupied Mariupol.
This was reported by MP Maksym Tkachenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights, De-occupation, and Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, in a comment to Ukrinform.
“According to our data, about 150,000 IDPs have returned to the temporarily occupied territories,” the MP stated.
He noted that around 200,000 residents fled Mariupol after its occupation by Russia. However, approximately one in three of them—67,000 to 70,000 people—have since returned to the city under occupation.
“In my opinion, these figures are deeply concerning,” Tkachenko emphasized.
The MP explained that a key factor driving people back to the temporarily occupied territories is insufficient support and assistance from the state. Many IDPs struggled to integrate into new communities and felt compelled to return.