Woman, 80, who refused Russian passport returns from occupied territories after travelling through five countries in a wheelchair

An 80-year-old woman named Antonina who was unable to evacuate from a temporarily occupied village in Donetsk Oblast due to health problems has been brought back to Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Her journey home took her through five countries, said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman).

Antonina's daughter had asked the Ombudsman's Office to help bring her mother back.

She said that Antonina was unable to move independently and had thus been unable to evacuate. There were no relatives or friends left to take care of her.

Antonina refused to obtain a Russian-issued passport, which had left her without a pension, her daughter said.

The elderly woman was taken out by volunteers who had purchased a wheelchair and a walking frame for her. Antonina left her home in the occupied village on 24 January.

"This lady's route went through the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast and the territory of Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland," said Dmytro Lubinets.

He added that Antonina had been reunited with her daughter in Lviv on 4 February. They are now in Kyiv.

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