Ukraine Brings Home 65 Citizens Stuck at Russian-Georgian Border
Ukraine has evacuated 65 of its nationals trapped in the buffer zone at the Russian-Georgian border, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced on August 22. The group included 10 women and eight seriously ill individuals.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Sybiha’s post on social media.
According to Sybiha, the evacuees had been stranded at Georgia’s Dariali checkpoint amid what he described as a humanitarian crisis deliberately caused by Russia.
Ukrainian diplomats and consuls coordinated with international organizations to secure their safe return.
Between August 21–22, Ukrainian authorities, working with Georgian and Moldovan partners, organized the transit of this group from Georgia back to Ukraine via Moldova.
The minister expressed gratitude to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Health Ministry, Justice Ministry, and the Security Service for their role in the operation.
He also thanked the Georgian and Moldovan governments for facilitating the route and helping resolve logistical challenges.
Sybiha noted that this evacuation follows earlier missions, bringing the total number of Ukrainians returned from the Dariali crossing to 109. Work is continuing to assist those still waiting to come home.
The minister stressed that the crisis began in late June, when Russia intensified deportations of Ukrainian citizens to the checkpoint.
“The Ukrainian side has already publicly appealed to Russia to send our people directly to Ukraine’s border, not Georgia’s. This proposal remains valid. If Russia continues to ignore it, the only conclusion is that the sharp increase in deportations is a planned Russian operation against Ukraine,” Sybiha said.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed that units of the Interior Ministry took part in the evacuation. He added that authorities will investigate the circumstances of the detentions and Russia’s attempts to exploit Ukrainian citizens for provocations. Each returnee, he said, will receive legal, medical, and security support.
As The Gaze reported earlier, 43 Ukrainian citizens who had served prison terms or were deported from Russian-occupied territories were evacuated via Moldova after being stranded at the Russian-Georgian border without valid documents.