Thirty-three civilians from Ukrainian-controlled areas of Russia’s Kursk region who had been taken to Ukraine have now returned to Russia, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said.
Moskalkova credited the evacuation to efforts by the Red Cross and the Belarusian authorities.
Alexander Khinshtein, the acting governor of the Kursk region, said the group included “many” elderly people and four children. Nine of the returnees, he added, required emergency hospitalization.
This is the second time in six months that Russian officials have reported the return of Kursk region residents taken to Ukraine. In November, 46 people were brought back to Russia.
Estimates suggest that between 2,000 and 3,000 people remain in areas of the Kursk region under Ukrainian control. The total number relocated to Ukraine is unclear; the Ukrainian military typically evacuates those who request it for safety reasons.
