Last year, thousands of people returned to the territories of Donetsk controlled by Ukraine.

Nearly 23 thousand people returned to the territory of Donbas controlled by Ukraine

In 2024, about 22.8 thousand people returned to the territory of Donetsk region under the control of Ukraine. At the same Time, about 236 thousand persons were evacuated. This information was provided by representatives of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration in response to a request.

It is worth noting that the figures mentioned above are official data and result from the authorities' efforts for evacuation and the return of the population. Information about specific settlements to which people return is not disclosed.

It was also noted that as of January 1, 2025, about 308 thousand people were living in the controlled part of Donetsk.

However, the authorities do not provide a general picture regarding the reasons why people return to dangerous areas. Each case is individual.

Earlier, there was information that 150 thousand internally displaced persons returned to temporarily occupied territories. However, this information was refuted.

Information about the return of internally displaced persons was suggested by Deputy Head of the 'Servant of the People' faction, Maxim Tkachenk, but it lacks confirmation and is merely an assumption. According to Iryna Vereshchuk from the President's Office, there are no official statistical data regarding the return of IDPs to occupied territories.

It should be recalled that earlier the Kherson Regional Military Administration reported on the number of people living in the de-occupied part of Kherson region.

It is also worth noting that the Russian occupation extends over part of the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.