MP retracts claim about 150K internally displaced people returning to occupied territories
Nation25 November 2024, 03:35 PM
MP Maksym Tkachenko from the Servant of the People party denied his statement about internally displaced persons returning to occupied territories, calling it an "unfounded and emotional assumption" in a comment to Ukrinform on Nov. 25.
Tkachenko acknowledged that while some Ukrainians are forced to travel to occupied territories for various reasons, it's not in the hundreds or thousands, and no verified statistics exist.
"I expressed myself incorrectly and want to refute my words," the MP said. Earlier, he claimed about 150,000 internally displaced Ukrainians returned to these territories, with 70,000 going to Mariupol, citing a lack of assistance in Ukraine-controlled areas as the primary reason.
He added that many displaced people struggled with housing, work, and low-paying jobs due to employers' skepticism.