In Russian-occupied Donbas, 130,000 Ukrainians have returned to their homes in the last year. Petr Andriushchenko, the advisor to Mariupol’s mayor, said that many of these returnees had fled during the 2022 invasion but found life as internally displaced people (IDPs) unsustainable.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Kyiv Post went on to reveal that all returnees travel through Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow, as the land border between Ukraine’s Sumy region and Russia’s Kursk region was closed during Ukraine’s counteroffensive this summer.
Andriushchenko revealed that financial difficulties are the main reason for their return. The Ukrainian government canceled a social wage of Hr. 2,000 ($48) for IDPs, leaving many without critical support.
Additionally, the average salary for workers displaced from Donbas is too low to cover monthly apartment rentals in most parts of Ukraine.
Many IDPs also struggle to qualify for Ukraine’s popular mortgage program, yeOselya.
Andriushchenko noted that only 2% of the program’s 13,000 borrowers are displaced people, saying, “It’s unaffordable for those from Mariupol, Berdyansk, and Melitopol.”
While cities like Kyiv offer more jobs and opportunities, other regions are less welcoming to displaced people.
High living costs, a lack of jobs, and societal barriers force many IDPs to consider returning to Russian-occupied territories.
More refugees are leaving western Ukraine than eastern regions like Dnipro, but Andriushchenko highlighted a troubling pattern: people from economically strained or socially “closed” regions often have no other option but to return home, despite the risks.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
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