Draft: not yet checked by a lawyerThe guides below are drafts: a lawyer has not reviewed them yet. This is not legal advice.
Draft What human rights defenders advise
I want to leave the occupied territories
Where you can go. Enter Ukraine through the Mokrany-Domanove crossing (Volyn region): it is the only humanitarian corridor, it runs through Russia and Belarus and works only for entering Ukraine, on foot, about 1.5 km. The Kolotilovka-Pokrovka crossing has been closed since August 2024. From January 2025 to March 2026 almost 12,700 people arrived via Domanove. Ombudsman staff, Caritas Ukraine and Helping to Leave meet people there.
Via third countries. From Russia you can go, for example, to Georgia via Verkhny Lars (insurance of at least 30,000 lari required since 1 January 2026) or to Estonia (as of 3 September 2026 crossings are open 7:00 to 19:00, closed at night). Rules change, and volunteers reported refusals for people without biometric passports. Human rights groups advise checking the route with volunteers right before you leave.
Who helps for free. Helping to Leave: bot @helpingtoleave_bot, phone +380 93 177 64 58; over 19,000 people evacuated. Save Ukraine helps families with children: 0 800 333 129. Rubikus helps with the journey to Europe but is an 'undesirable organisation' in Russia. If you are already in Russia and facing expulsion, contact the Civic Assistance Committee (Moscow).
Filtration. On exit the FSB questions people, checks the phone, chats and belongings, and asks about acquaintances in the Ukrainian army. You may be turned back or banned from Russia for 20 to 50 years; the ban also applies in Belarus. Human rights groups warn that a 'wiped' phone also raises suspicion and simple deletion does not protect you. The trip through Russia and Belarus can take up to five days.
Documents. Ukraine must let its citizens in. At Domanove an expired passport, birth certificate or driving licence is accepted. Without a Ukrainian passport, Ukrainian embassies in third countries issue a return certificate: valid three months, entry only. Since June 2026 people born under occupation after 24 August 1991 who never had a Ukrainian passport can get this certificate free at embassies in Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey and Kazakhstan, and identity can be confirmed by video call.
Russian passport. The EU does not accept Russian passports issued in the occupied territories for visas or Schengen entry. Ukraine does not consider such citizenship voluntary. Since 20 January 2026 children under 14 need a Russian international passport to leave Russia for most countries. EU temporary protection for people from Ukraine runs until 4 March 2027.
If you are being expelled. At least 1,000 Ukrainians wait for years in Russian deportation centres. In summer 2025 about 100 expelled people without valid documents got stuck at Georgia's Dariali checkpoint; 17 have lived there for over a year. Human rights groups advise contacting the Civic Assistance Committee and Ukraine's Ombudsman (+380 44 299 74 08) straight away. In 2025, 80 people were returned to Ukraine from deportation centres.
Designations of organisations in this guide: Rubikus.helpUA (Rubikus e.V.) (undesirable). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.
Free help for Ukrainians to leave occupied territories and Russia, where they were taken against their will: route, escort, humanitarian and psychological support.
A call to the +380 number from a Russian SIM card stays in the operator's records.
The only official bot is @helpingtoleave_bot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Charity that evacuates children, families and young people from occupied areas, Russia and Belarus, including when the child is there and parents are in Ukraine or Europe; route advice, then shelter, documents and psychological support. Reports 1,763 children rescued.
Works specifically with people under occupation and in Russia and promises confidentiality. The 0 800 number is free from Ukrainian numbers. A trace of contact on your phone is dangerous during checks. No status in Russia found (no independent reports).
Call →0800333129(a call stays in the phone log and with the operator)
Caritas Ukraine (Domanove crossing)
At the Domanove crossing since February 2025: registration, transport, food, tickets, legal and psychological help, temporary shelter. Over 2,500 people helped in a year (May 2026).
Helps once you are already on the Ukrainian side, so the risk of contact is minimal. Separately: in Russia a person got 12 years for transferring 100 zloty to Caritas, so donations from Russia are dangerous. No status in Russia found.
Call →0800336734(a call stays in the phone log and with the operator)
Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman)
Ukrainian state body. Staff work permanently at the Domanove crossing; passes lists of detained civilians to the ICRC and the Russian side; works on returns from deportation centres and the Georgian border; takes reports on property seizure; consultation centre on finding children.
Messages with a Ukrainian state body on your phone are dangerous during checks. The main number is now 1678. The old 0 800 50 17 20 is no longer listed on the website; it still worked in May 2026, but it is unclear for how long. It is safer for relatives outside the occupied territories and Russia to make contact. A Ukrainian state body; no status found in Russian registers.
Call →1678(a call stays in the phone log and with the operator)
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU)
Free legal help through a network of advice centres across Ukraine, many of which consult remotely. They help people affected by the war: claims to the Register of Damage and court cases for families of missing persons.
Calling a Ukrainian number from occupied areas or from Russia is risky: better contact them after you leave. The website and consultations are in Ukrainian. They have no separate programme for civilians held in Russia.
Germany-based volunteer project: advice on entry rules for Europe, route planning, sometimes tickets and overnight stays, medical transport. Helps people in the occupied territories since 2022. Requests via the form on the website.
'Undesirable' in Russia: volunteering and donations from Russia risk CAO art. 20.33 and art. 284.1 of the Criminal Code. Sources don't say how risky it is to ask for help leaving yourself. Don't keep your messages with the project on your phone during filtration. The organisation itself warns in its channel (post of 07.08.2026): 'Rubikus has been declared an undesirable organisation in the RF'. The date of the decision (December 2025) is confirmed only by Wikipedia, citing RBC.