People released from Ukrainian prisons really need support and assistance of the Republic. From the very day when people returned from Ukrainian captivity, enormous efforts have been made by the Ombudsman Office in order to help people rehabilitate and adapt to peaceful life.
Immediately upon arrival, people were provided with temporary housing in Temporary Accommodation Centres of the Ombudsman Office, they received humanitarian aid in the form of food, essential goods, bedding and warm clothes.
Cereals, macaroni products, vegetables, canned food and other necessary products were also delivered to the temporary accommodation centres, and three-time meals a day were organized for them by the efforts of the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Released persons have been referred to the Republican Occupational Health Clinic of the Ministry of Health of the Donetsk People’s Republic in order to undergo complete medical examination and receive necessary medical treatment.
Throughout the month, the Ombudsman Office has been providing people with legal counseling; the procedure of registration and documentation were explained to them. Also, people who need psychological support received the assistance of specialists.
The Ombudsman Office arranged a meeting for those who had returned from the Ukrainian captivity with the staff of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. During the meeting, issues of employment and social benefits were discussed. In order to help the people with employment, specialists of the Republican Employment Center provided them with advice on available vacancies.
“Return from captivity is only a first step to normal life. And the state support is of great importance in this process, and interaction of all state structures plays a key role. The Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office makes every effort to help people forget all the horrors of captivity, and to facilitate rehabilitation,” – said the Chief Administrator of the Ombudsman Office Andrey Kolomiytsev.
To be reminded, 160 supporters of the Donetsk People’s Republic returned to the Republic as a result of the exchange of December 27, 2017.
