The return of 65 citizens from the buffer zone on the Russian-Georgian border was organized upon President Zelensky’s directive. Among them are 10 women, 8 severely ill.
According to Ukrinform, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha announced this on Facebook.
“All of them were at the Dariali Georgian border checkpoint, practically under the circumstances of a humanitarian crisis created by Russia’s actions. Ukrainian diplomats and consuls made every effort to return citizens and improve the conditions of their stay at the border, particularly with the involvement of international organizations”, Sybiha noted.
During August 21-22, thanks to joint efforts, it was possible to successfully return another large group of Ukrainian citizens from Georgia to Ukraine through the territory of Moldova. Sybiha thanked his colleagues from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, and the Security Service of Ukraine for their teamwork and cooperation on implementing this operation.
He expressed his gratitude to the official representatives of the Georgian and Moldovan authorities for their assistance in organizing the transit route and resolving logistical issues.
The Minister reminded that in previous months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine had already organized the return of a total of 44 citizens together with the involved bodies.
Thus, the total number of Ukrainians who managed to be returned from the Dariali checkpoint in the previous months amounted to 109 people. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the embassies of Ukraine in Georgia and Moldova, the involved Ukrainian departments, and the Georgian and Moldovan sides, continues to work on the return of the remaining citizens who express their desire to be repatriated to Ukraine.
According to Sybiha, the humanitarian crisis on the Russian-Georgian border arose in the second half of June, when Russia purposefully began to dramatically increase the number of Ukrainian citizens deported to this checkpoint.
“The Ukrainian party has already publicly appealed to the Russian Federation to send them directly to the border of Ukraine, not Georgia. This proposal remains in force. If Russia continues to ignore it, the only conclusion will be that the sharp increase in the number of deportees is a planned Russian operation against Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine will never leave its people in trouble and will always prioritize protecting the rights and legitimate interests of its citizens,” Sybiha emphasized.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, reported in Telegram that units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs system took part in the operation.
“We will find out all the details about keeping our citizens in the buffer zone and Russia’s brutal attempt to use Ukrainian citizens for provocations and abuse. Separate work will be carried out with each, which will include legal, medical, and, of course, security measures,” Klymenko emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, on August 8, citizens of Ukraine who are at the Dariali checkpoint on the border with the Russian Federation stopped the hunger strike announced by them on August 5.
Photo: Andrii Sybiha/Fb
Source: 65 citizens returned to Ukraine from buffer zone on Russian-Georgian border
