From the beginning of the quarantine, Ukrainians who worked and lived abroad have returned to Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that there are 120,000 of such people. A lot of efforts had to be made in order to bring them home: arranging flights, coordinating departure and arrival to Ukraine, organizing the way people would get to their place of residence, ensuring check-ups to see if they were infected or not, and so on. Meanwhile, what should those Ukrainian citizens do if they have got stuck, for various reasons, in ‘LPR’/ ‘DPR’? Or if they are stuck in government-controlled territory while their permanent residence is in non-government-controlled area (NGCA)?

On 15 March, at 15:30, a few hours before the closing hours of entry-exit crossing points (EECP), it was announced that the crossing of the contact line, from then on, would be carried out only in accordance with a person’s residence registration. On 16 March already, it was impossible to cross the contact line! Unfortunately, people who are registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs) but who at that time were in NGCA, were not able to get home, to government-controlled territory. They only have winter clothes, no money on them, and different thoughts about work, about planting and harvesting, about medical treatment, and so on, and so on…

These people are looking for any opportunity to get home but they are not allowed to cross. For the last three weeks, we have been receiving a flood of letters asking for help with crossing the EECP. Here are the three examples of letters from IDPs.

«… I am registered in the occupied territory, but I live and work in Zaporizhzhia, at Zaporozhstal [industrial plant]. I have an IDP certificate. I was on my planned vacation at the place of my residence registration from 10.03.20 to 22.03.20. On 16 March, I learned about the restrictions for crossing the contact line. Having an IDP certificate, a certificate from my job and return railway tickets, I was not allowed to cross into the government-controlled territory on 18 March at the EECP Mariinka, as I am not registered in Zaporizhzhia. I could not convince the border guards even when I explained that I work there, rent an apartment there, all my documents, a car and personal belongings are there.  Now I have found myself without work and livelihood, waiting for the opening of the EECP. Since 22 March, I have been on the unpaid leave at my enterprise. I do not know how long the quarantine will last and how I am supposed to survive. Are such actions of the Government towards the IDPs lawful?  lawful? … К. »

“We are IDPs, and we live permanently in Kyiv and Irpen. I have disability due to cancer.  There is a certificate to confirm this by the Physical Disability Board of Review issued by the Kyiv Oncologic Dispensary. With my husband, who also has a certificate from his job, (he does work in the urban-type village Irpen) we came to Luhansk on 15 March for one day and could not get back home. I have to take medicine every day, I haven’t taken it for a month and a half already, and my condition is getting worse every day because of it. I do not know how long I will last without medication and treatment. I can’t buy it here, and I don’t have money for it. We’ve been left without a livelihood… I applied to the “LPR” “ministry of foreign affairs” in Luhansk. They included me in the list for crossing for 24 April in Stanytisa [Luhanska], but Ukraine did not want to let me cross. To be honest, I did not believe what they told me at the ‘LPR’ ‘MFA’. But I wrote to the JFO headquarters and got an answer, I will forward it to you, “Denied!”

“I’m asking for your help in crossing the contact line, because I haven’t been home in 1.5 months. I am pregnant (24 weeks), I urgently need to go to the hospital at my place of residence. I found myself in non-government-controlled territory as I was taking care of my grandmother who has cancer. She was discharged from the hospital on 23.04 and we hoped for the EECP to open on 24 April, but it did not happen. We can no longer be here as we are running out of money. Help us, please!”

Below, we outline the circumstances that prevent people from returning to the non-government-controlled territory.

“Due the quarantine, I have not managed to cross the contact line with my little two-years-old daughter. I have been in Kurakhove all this time, with almost no money. I spend all my money on rent! I am asking you to assist us in crossing the EECP and in returning home. Please, help!”

A woman from Odesa lost her mother; she died in Kirovsk [NGCA]. Her father is also there, hospitalized in grave condition. As she was unable to cross the contact line, the woman did not make it to her mother’s funeral, and she is denied permission to cross the EECP to look after her father.

Here is another story.

“I am stuck with two children and with no financial means, please, help me to get home, to Donetsk! I am registered in Donetsk and I have a place to live there. I am stuck in government-controlled territory, I do not have any means left to live here and feed my children. There isn’t any help. I have two children and a mother with heart issues. I am a single mother and we are with no financial means here. And there are more problems at home with this quarantine. They want to expel my older daughter from the university, and my younger daughter has allegedly been expelled from school; we were told to come and receive her documents back. God knows what is going on. My younger daughter has asthma with allergies, we need medications all the time. In Donetsk, she is permanently observed by a pulmonologist, neurologist and a cardiologist. We have already missed the tests planned for this spring because we got stuck here. Please, help us return home!”

Representatives of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group have contacted all the people who appealed to the organization, compiled a list of individuals, outlining detailed circumstances in ever case. On 4 May, they forwarded this list, with 350 names, to the Ombudsman Liudmyla Denysova. In two weeks, the number of people stuck in non-government-controlled territory exceeded 700 individuals.

Ms Denysova got in touch with the Joint Forces Operation (JFO), her representative went were, and the JFO agreed to let people cross the EECPs. Another challenge, however, is the EECPs being closed on the other side, as well. In addition, it is impossible to approach the EECP. For example, both sides were ready to allow the crossing of a woman with cancer-related disability (we cited her letter above), but all cars driving from Luhansk in the EECP direction were not allowed to proceed.

Following complex negotiations, a list of 38 people from NGCA, and of 35 people from the government-controlled territory was comprised. On 16 May, 32 people crossed at Stanytsia Luhanska. All of them were tested for COVID-19; those with smartphones had an app ‘Diya’ (‘Action’) installed. This app allows tracking how diligent an individual is during self-isolation. Those who did not have smartphones were isolated in an organized manner.

Twenty people crossed to the non-government-controlled territory.

On 19 May, the process continued. There is certain progress, but it is very slow.

We thank Liudmyla Denysova and her office, as well JFO! Having analyzed the list of people who were allowed to cross, we see that the priority was given to those requiring medical services: planned surgeries, resuming of the discontinued treatment, etc. However, the question is why not to grant the same opportunity to people to need to return home or to resume education. More than 700 IDPs are in need of this permission, many have families waiting for them, they have barely any financial means left, and only winter clothing. It is the third month of their forced stay outside their home. What prevents the state bodies from doing so?

Meanwhile, we keep receiving phone calls and letters…

Yevhen Zakharov, the Head of Kharkiv Human Rights Groups, Ukraine