Another 65 Ukrainians have been returned to Ukraine from the buffer zone on the Russian-Georgian border. In total, 109 people have already been returned. This was announced by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, who explained the reason for the humanitarian crisis at the Daryali checkpoint, as reported by UNN.
At the instruction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 65 Ukrainian citizens were returned to Ukraine from the buffer zone on the Russian-Georgian border. Among them were 10 women and 8 seriously ill people. All of them were at the Georgian Daryali checkpoint, effectively in conditions of a humanitarian crisis created by Russia's actions. Ukrainian diplomats and consuls made every effort to return the citizens and improve their living conditions at the border, including with the involvement of international organizations.
He reported that on August 21-22, thanks to joint efforts, another large group of our citizens was successfully returned from Georgia to Ukraine via Moldova.
"We thank our 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 in implementing this operation. We express special gratitude to the official representatives of the Georgian and Moldovan authorities for their assistance in organizing the transit route and resolving logistical issues," Sybiha noted.
The minister reminded that in previous months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, together with the relevant authorities, had already organized the return of a total of 44 citizens.
"Thus, the total number of Ukrainians who have been returned from the Daryali checkpoint in previous months is 109 people. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ukrainian embassies in Georgia and Moldova, relevant Ukrainian agencies, and the Georgian and Moldovan sides, continues to work on the return of the remaining citizens who express a desire to be repatriated to Ukraine," Sybiha said.
He emphasized that the humanitarian crisis on the Russian-Georgian border arose in the second half of June, when Russia deliberately began to sharply increase the number of Ukrainian citizens it deported to this checkpoint.
"The Ukrainian side has already publicly appealed to the Russian Federation to send them directly to the Ukrainian border, not the Georgian one. 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 never abandons its people in trouble and will always prioritize the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of its citizens," Sybiha wrote.