Thirty-three civilians from Russia’s southwestern Kursk region have returned home from Ukraine following negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, Russian presidential human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova announced on Monday.
“Most of them are elderly, including four children. Many suffer from serious injuries and illnesses,” Moskalkova shared on Telegram.
She credited the International Committee of the Red Cross and Belarus for their role in the negotiations and acknowledged the support of Russian government agencies and special services in facilitating the return.
Moskalkova previously accused Ukrainian forces of forcibly relocating more than 1,000 Kursk residents following an August incursion that displaced over 152,000 people.
On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, she announced that Moscow had reached an agreement with Kyiv and the Red Cross to evacuate Kursk residents via Belarus.
Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein said the youngest evacuee was under two years old, while the oldest was 89. Nine returnees were hospitalized, while the others would reunite with their families on Tuesday.
Russian authorities initially listed around 500 people as missing in Ukrainian-controlled areas, but local residents estimate the number is closer to 3,000.
Ukraine, which has thousands of its own civilians held in Russian-occupied territories since the 2022 invasion, maintains that it is providing safe passage for Russian civilians in the Kursk region.
