The aggressor state Russia is illegally detaining more than 14,000 citizens of Ukraine, the work of returning them is the most difficult, Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets told Interfax-Ukraine on the sidelines of a Prayer Breakfast under the patronage of the President, which was held in Kyiv June 29.

"Returning three categories of Ukrainian citizens - children, prisoners of war, civilians - it is for civilians that this is the most difficult work," he noted, commenting on the return of 10 Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity, including deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Dzhelal, priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levytsky.

The Commissioner explained that in the case of civilians we are not talking about an exchange, as in the case of prisoners of war, but rather about return.

"We cannot change them; we do not directly have any additional impacts on the Russian Federation. We do not even have a legal basis on the basis of which we can carry out this process," he added.

Lubinets recalled that Ukraine is also making every effort to return almost 20,000 children and "tens of thousands" of people who are considered missing.

He clarified that this was the first time that the Vatican, which previously provided assistance only in the case of children, took part in the return of Ukrainians home.

"Until this time, they (the Vatican) helped us with the return of Ukrainian children. We are in direct communication with them. I hope that this return will become a new point... Perhaps a new channel has finally opened for both communication and the return of civilian citizens of Ukraine," the Commissioner for Human Rights said.