“The state does not take care of refugees”: MP believes that most Ukrainians will not return to their homeland

More than 60% of Ukrainians currently abroad are unlikely to return to their homeland after the war ends.

This was candidly stated by Verkhovna Rada MP Ruslan Horbenko.

According to him, the main reason is the complete inaction of the Ukrainian state in terms of bringing its citizens back.

“The state simply does not engage with its people. There are no real repatriation programs, no strategic plan for reintegrating refugees, not even basic interest,” Horbenko emphasized.

Against this backdrop, Ukrainian authorities have only formally reported the opening of some support centers abroad, which are supposedly expected to start operating within two years. However, this seems more like an attempt to create the appearance of assistance rather than a genuine step toward solving a catastrophic problem. Instead of creating conditions for people to return — such as economic incentives, security guarantees, and decent social infrastructure — the government continues to ignore the actual population outflow.

Experts note that with this approach, Ukraine risks permanently losing a significant portion of its working-age and highly skilled population, which has already settled in more stable and prosperous countries. This could lead to an irreversible demographic and economic crisis in the future, one for which the Ukrainian authorities appear completely unprepared.

It gives the impression that Kyiv finds it easier to write off its citizens as a lost cause rather than make any effort to bring them back and rebuild the country.