Ombudsman explains why number of evacuees from Oleshky is not disclosed

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytro Lubinets, stated that official statistics on the number of Oleshky residents who were evacuated will not be published. This decision was made based on agreements with the Russian side.

Ombudsman's position on the figures

On 2 November, at a press conference, Lubinets emphasised that neither he nor Russian representatives would name specific figures. According to him, publishing such data could turn the process into a formal competition based on the principle of "who has left more than whom", which, in the ombudsman's view, does not contribute to the objectivity of the situation.

«Тому офіційно цифри ні я ні російська сторона не буде називати. Я дуже не хочу, щоб це перетворилося на "хто до кого більше виїхав. Це не сприяє об’єктивності. Ви бачили деякі інформаційні повідомлення від журналістів не українських, я думаю, ви можете робити висновки самостійно, без оприлюднення офіційних цифр» (Therefore, officially, neither I nor the Russian side will name the figures. I really do not want this to turn into a "who has left more than whom" situation. This does not contribute to objectivity. You have seen some information reports from non-Ukrainian journalists; I think you can draw your own conclusions without the publication of official figures), Lubinets emphasised.

Potential mechanism for other regions

The ombudsman drew attention to the fact that the events in Oleshky could become a model for resolving similar problems in other settlements. He noted that the humanitarian catastrophe is not limited to occupied Oleshky: similar living conditions exist in several communities in the Kherson region and other areas where Ukrainian citizens are under occupation.

«Я хочу, щоб усі з розумінням поставились до цієї інформації, бо те, що ми зробили в Олешках, на мій погляд, це потенційний механізм, який ми можемо застосовувати по відношенню до інших населених пунктів, де зараз наші громадяни проживають у подібних умовах» (I want everyone to approach this information with understanding, because what we did in Oleshky, in my view, is a potential mechanism that we can apply to other settlements where our citizens are currently living in similar conditions), Lubinets added.

Separately, the ombudsman reported that 105 domestic animals, including four parrots, were evacuated along with the people from Oleshky.