New report released by Save the Children reveals over 1.6 million people have returned to front line areas in Ukraine despite the dangers.
KYIV, 2 April 2026 - Over 1.6 million people have returned to front line areas in Ukraine despite the dangers, with families saying the financial stress of being away from home and missing their community outweighed the risks, [1] according to Save the Children research.
As the war in Ukraine approaches 1,500 days, a survey by Save the Children found increasing numbers of families returning to the front line regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, and Sumy. [2]
Three quarters (74%) of 172 parents and caregivers interviewed said that missing their home and community, along with feeling isolated in places they fled to, contributed to their decision to return home to dangerous front line areas where active fighting is ongoing.
Almost one in two parents and caregivers (45%) said that they had returned because their children were feeling unhappy, stressed, or lonely in their host communities.
About 55% cited the high cost of housing or difficulties in finding work in host communities. Rental costs in safer parts of Ukraine can be extremely high, ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 UAH ($160 to $340) a month – often equivalent to a whole household’s income.
Following four years of full-scale war in Ukraine, about 3.4 million people remain displaced inside the country, while 5.9 million have sought safety abroad. [3] [4]
Save the Children’s child protection teams found this wave of migration back to frontline areas defied the threats to life from shelling, mines and ground fighting. It also meant difficulties accessing quality education, loss of services such as safe playgrounds for children to play, and psychosocial distress from frequent air alerts and exposure to conflict.
Volodymyr*, 47, fled his home in Sumy region, a few kilometres from Ukraine’s frontline, to the Lviv region in March 2022 with his wife and seven-year-old son, Bohdan*. Volodymyr* struggled to find a job and was unable to afford their own apartment so they stayed with friends.
Bohdan* has a severe disability and needs regular rehabilitation but the family was unable to find the support needed while displaced. The family also struggled living in one room in their friends’ apartment so decided to return home several months after evacuating.
Volodymyr* said: “Returning here, we took a risk, because there is permanent shelling in our city. […] We constantly hear sounds of drones flying over our house. This disturbs our peace, makes us nervous and we sleep badly.”
The research identified a mixed and complex picture for families once they returned to their homes on or near the front line.
Despite no longer having to pay high rents and being close to old social networks, many parents and caregivers said it was harder to find safe spaces for their children to play. But almost eight in 10 (77%) of 171 children surveyed said it was easier to make friends back in their home communities.
Local and regional children’s service providers and local authority representatives who were interviewed said that the toll of returning home caused children to fall ill more frequently shortly after the move. Many children, meanwhile, resort to coping mechanisms such as spending increased time online or on social media.
Sonia Khush, Save the Children’s Country Director in Ukraine, said:
“It’s difficult to think that families with children are choosing to return to their homes on Ukraine’s frontline despite the very real risk that this poses to their safety – as well as the huge psychological toll of living among constant air raid alerts and the sound of drones.
“But the fact that families are taking these heartbreaking decisions and choosing to return to such areas reveals the severe toll of displacement. While they may find relative safety in the places they were forced to flee to, many find that they cannot survive financially, far away from their usual income opportunities and support networks, while at the same time deeply missing the communities and connections they have left behind. Going back to a war zone is never a choice anyone makes lightly.
“Sustained international funding is critical to ensure that families displaced in Ukraine have the financial means and services that will allow them to choose to stay where they are. We also need funding to ensure that children affected by the war receive the protection, care and opportunities they need to rebuild their lives wherever they choose to do so, and to prevent a generation from carrying the invisible scars of conflict for life.”
Save the Children is calling on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools and hospitals, and to end grave violations against children.
Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014. Since 24 February 2022, the children’s rights agency has dramatically scaled up its operations, supporting children and their families with access to essential supplies and services. Save the Children has reached over 4.7 million people – including around 1.9 million children – in Ukraine in the last four years, delivering lifesaving aid, education, protection and mental health support.
*Names changed for anonymity
[1] International Organization for migration
[3] https://dtm.iom.int/ukraine
[4] https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine
Flo Brookes, Global Media Manager, florence.brookes@savethechildren.org
Our media out of hours (GMT) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409