Ukrainian Villagers Forcibly Taken to Russia Still Haven’t Made It Home

Kyiv says hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been forcibly transferred to Russia, echoing Soviet practices
The road along which residents of Vilkhivka said they marched toward Russia under orders from occupying soldiers.

VILKHIVKA, Ukraine—As Ukrainian forces closed in on this village in northeastern Ukraine in spring, Russian soldiers rounded up dozens of locals and told them to march along a dirt track toward the Russian border some 20 miles away.

More than half a year later, only a few have returned. After being taken to Russia without prior warning, they spent weeks traversing the country and making their way westward into Europe, where most still live as refugees. With Vilkhivka liberated but in ruins, they don’t know when they will make it home.