Reintegration of Ukrainians after the war. Demographer named the most difficult category of citizens.

The end of the war has posed the challenge of restoring Ukrainian identity among residents of occupied territories, stated Ella Libanova, director of the Institute of Demography and Social Studies, during the 'Bridges of Ukraine' project.

She emphasized that this task will be particularly challenging in the LPR and DPR. 'If the peace agreement stipulates that these territories remain under Ukraine's control, then those who live there are citizens of Ukraine. What should we do with them? We cannot just drive them away,' Libanova explained.

The main problems concern the education of children who began their studies after the occupation. 'Imagine, a child started school in 2014 and only finished this year. Can you imagine how this person has been cut off from Ukrainian culture?', she added.

It was previously reported that more than 22.8 thousand people returned to the territory of the Donetsk region under Ukrainian control during 2024. Information was also provided about which parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are under Russian occupation.