At the "Dariali" border crossing between Russia and Georgia, the number of Ukrainians who have declared a hunger strike has increased to 15. They claim to be illegally detained and demand a meeting with Ukrainian representatives and the opportunity to leave or receive international protection. This is reported by UNN with reference to "Echo of the Caucasus".
Details
According to "Echo of the Caucasus", the hunger strike at the Georgian checkpoint "Dariali" has been ongoing since August 5. Its participants are Ukrainian citizens who have been in the basement of the checkpoint for several weeks. They put forward a number of demands: the arrival of a Ukrainian consul, an explanation of the reasons for their detention, the opportunity to leave the territory of Georgia or apply for international protection, a medical examination, and an end to what they consider illegal detention.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, in a comment to Radio Liberty, stated that the detainees have no complaints against the Georgian authorities and seek to return to Ukraine as soon as possible with the assistance of the Red Cross and the embassy.
According to Georgian officials, most of these individuals were previously convicted of "serious crimes" in the occupied territories of Ukraine and forcibly deported by Russia to its colonies. They were denied entry to Georgia due to the lack of proper documents and a "potential security threat."
On August 3, the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation refuted Moscow's statements that Kyiv allegedly refused to accept 90 of its citizens from the Georgian border. Ukraine emphasized that it is working on their return, but on the condition of confirming their citizenship.
Recall
Earlier, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha proposed that Russia transport deported Ukrainians directly to the Ukrainian, not Georgian, border. Since June, Russia has significantly increased the number of deported citizens, mostly former prisoners, to the border with Georgia.