Displaced Ukrainians are returning to their occupied hometowns – The Times

Thousands of Ukrainians who fled the war have returned to areas controlled by Russia because Kyiv failed to provide them with housing and social assistance, critics claim.

This was reported by The Times.

Maxim Tkachchenko, a member of parliament from President Zelensky’s ruling party, stated that about 150,000 people from towns and villages occupied by Russia have abandoned attempts to rebuild their lives in areas controlled by Kyiv. According to him, they had no choice but to return to their hometowns.

“They did not receive enough help from the state — no housing, no social support, no compensation [for losses], no jobs,” he said.

Tkachchenko also stated that internally displaced Ukrainians faced “discrimination” and “skepticism” in the labor market.

He later retracted his comment about the 150,000 returnees after it was picked up by Russian propaganda outlets.

“There is no such data. That was my unfounded and emotional assumption,” he clarified.

However, his interview came after Pyotr Andryushchenko, advisor to the exiled mayor of Mariupol, claimed that at least 50,000 people had returned to the devastated port city since it was occupied by Russia in 2022.

According to Andryushchenko, the lack of government assistance meant that people could not start new lives in regions still controlled by Kyiv.

“People simply have nowhere to live. If they work, they do not earn enough to pay for housing,” he said. “They are forced to return. It has nothing to do with [pro-Russian] ideology,” he added.

He also mentioned that thousands of others returned to the city to re-register their property rights under the new rules introduced by Moscow. Later, they left, he wrote on Telegram. After Mariupol was captured, Russia announced that it would “nationalize” private property if people did not present the new authorities with documents confirming their ownership rights. This had to be done in person.

There are almost four million internally displaced persons in Ukraine. They receive 2,000 hryvnias (40 British pounds) a month from the government, or 3,000 hryvnias if they have children or disabilities. Around seven million Ukrainians have left the country.