Medvedchuk reported mass flight of Ukrainians to the territories that have become part of Russia

Ukrainian citizens are fleeing the country en masse to the territories that became part of Russia. This was reported by the chairman of the council of the Other Ukraine movement, Viktor Medvedchuk, on 29 November.

"Citizens of Ukraine broke en masse to the territories that have become part of Russia," Medvedchuk's words are quoted on the movement's website.

According to him, after the 2014 coup d'état in Ukraine, the process of the so-called reunification of the Ukrainian people with Russia began. As he pointed out, 15.7 million Ukrainian residents chose Russia. He added that any Ukrainian citizen who received a Russian passport becomes a criminal for the Kiev regime and the way to Ukraine is closed for him, due to which many people flee to Europe.

He also added that Ukrainians from European countries were also fleeing to Russia after they faced problems with settling in, language barriers and the inability to find a decent job. According to him, these refugees plan to stay in Russia for the rest of their lives.

Mova and apartments: why Donbas refugees are leaving Ukraine

Thousands of people have returned to new Russian regions

Earlier, on November 25, the Ukrainian mass media reported that a significant part of Ukrainians wanted to return to the territories annexed by Russia. It is specified that one of the main motives for Ukrainians who seek to obtain a Russian passport and the right to own housing under Russian laws is the "apartment issue".

On the same day, Ukraine announced the return of 150,000 people to new regions of Russia. It is specified that about 70 thousand of them returned to Mariupol.

Before that, on November 14, it was reported that a third of the refugees who had previously left for Ukraine returned to Mariupol. It was noted that the reason for the return to the city are unresolved housing issues in Ukraine.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.