The issue of obtaining Ukrainian documents for residents of the occupied territories will only worsen with each passing year, as a second generation of Ukrainian citizens who have never had Ukrainian passports is already emerging. This was stated in a comment to OstroV by Aliona Luniova, Advocacy Director at the ZMINA Human Rights Center.
According to her, the problem becomes particularly acute during the admissions campaign to Ukrainian higher education institutions.
"We constantly say that these young people should be encouraged to come to Ukraine, given the opportunity to study, and build their future here. But what is the point of these opportunities if a person is physically unable to travel because they have no documents?" - Aliona Luniova said.
She stressed that the main priority should be enabling people to return to Ukraine, while any additional verification procedures could be carried out after their arrival.
The human rights advocate also warned that the problem will only continue to grow.
"Some Ukrainian territories have been under occupation for more than 12 years. Those children have grown up, many have already started families of their own and have children. In other words, a second generation of Ukrainian citizens who have never received Ukrainian documents is effectively being formed. And this problem will only become more severe", - Luniova emphasized.
According to her, Ukraine needs to create not just an experimental mechanism, but a genuinely effective system for enabling such citizens to return.
"Because this is not only about documents. It is about preserving these people's connection with Ukraine. If the procedure remains too complicated or effectively inaccessible, more and more people will simply stop even trying to obtain Ukrainian documents", - the Advocacy Director of the ZMINA Human Rights Center concluded.