Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets: implementation of humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka will be exceptionally difficult

Fundamental difference between situations in Oleshky and Kostiantynivka

Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets stated that applying the humanitarian mission model previously implemented in the temporarily occupied by Russia Oleshky in Kherson region to Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region would be extremely difficult. The ombudsman expressed this view during a meeting of the temporary investigative committee on investigating possible violations of Ukrainian legislation in the fields of defence, anti-corruption policy and human rights during the period of martial law, which took place on 13 November.

«Максимально важко. Скажу відверто. Чому? Ситуація між Олешками і Костянтинівкою є принципово різною» (Extremely difficult. I will be frank. Why? The situation between Oleshky and Kostiantynivka is fundamentally different), Lubinets emphasised.

According to him, the key factor for success in Kherson region was a natural obstacle — a river, which allowed the evacuation to be organised. Kostiantynivka has no such natural barrier, resulting in the absence of a clear demarcation between the positions of Ukrainian troops and Russian occupiers.

Necessity of ensuring a silence regime and communication with AFU

The ombudsman emphasised that before considering the possibility of conducting any operation, the issue of ensuring a real silence regime must be addressed separately. He explained that any humanitarian mission begins primarily with communication with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defence forces.

«І треба від них у першу чергу отримувати аналіз потенційних загроз, які можуть призвести до небезпеки для нашої сторони, для наших громадян під час проведення гуманітарних місій» (And we need to receive from them, first and foremost, an analysis of potential threats that may lead to danger for our side, for our citizens during the conduct of humanitarian missions), Lubinets added.

Context: Putin's proposal and Kremlin's reaction

Dmytro Lubinets also reported that he knows nothing about the potential preparation of such a mission. The discussion of this issue arose against the backdrop of a statement by the illegitimate President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. On 12 November, during a meeting with special envoys of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin proposed organising a humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka by analogy with Oleshky, claiming that Russia controls the city and is ready to guarantee safety.

On 13 November, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia is ready to begin clearing approaches to Kostiantynivka of mines, which, according to him, would take five days. He also claimed that after demining and agreeing on security guarantees, a humanitarian operation could be conducted to evacuate 400–500 civilians.

Ukraine's position on the list of territories

It should be noted that Kostiantynivka was not previously considered among the settlements where similar operations could be organised. The Ukrainian side has a preliminary list of such territories, however, the main focus was on the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region.