The evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from Iran took place in several stages.
According to Ukrinform, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this on Facebook.
According to the report, on June 24, on the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Main Intelligence Directorate, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, evacuated 31 Ukrainian citizens from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This concluded a comprehensive evacuation operation, during which 164 Ukrainian citizens were successfully transported out of Iran and Israel.
“The operation in Iran took place in several stages. After the security situation deteriorated, the Ukrainian Embassy in the Islamic Republic of Iran promptly informed Ukrainian citizens about the possibility of evacuation,” the report said.
After gathering at the diplomatic mission, the group was transported by bus to the Iranian-Azerbaijani border. They then crossed the bridge over the Araks River, which separates the two countries, on foot with their children and suitcases.
“The customs offices of Iran and Azerbaijan are separated by a bridge—a river that flows into the Caspian Sea. It is for trucks. We walked with our children and suitcases to passport control and waited for several hours. After all, Iran, a closed country, does not let its citizens leave, and is very reluctant to let others leave,” says Natalia [one of the evacuated Ukrainian women].
After passing through customs procedures, the Ukrainians were met by the Azerbaijani side. Thanks to the comprehensive assistance of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as coordination with the Republic of Moldova, further air transit to Chisinau was provided. From there, they traveled by bus to Kyiv.
“My daughter was born in Ukraine. We moved to Iran when she was only 5, and my younger son has never seen the country we come from. But both of them know the Ukrainian language, have embroidered shirts, and love varenyky and borsch,” says a Kyiv resident evacuated from Tehran.
The DIU expresses its gratitude to the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, official representatives of the Republic of Moldova, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Ukrainian ambassador to Azerbaijan Yuriy Gusev, as well as the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk, and SkyUp Airlines for their assistance in carrying out the operation.
As reported by Ukrinform, on June 22, the DIU, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, carried out an operation to evacuate 176 people from the State of Israel, including 133 Ukrainian citizens.
Source: Evacuation of Ukrainians from Iran carried out in multiple stages – DIU
