Georgian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, urged Ukraine to take measures and ensure the return of Ukrainian citizens in Dariali border checkpoint neutral zone, to their homeland.

Darakhvelidze stated at the briefing that the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) was ready to assist Ukraine in covering the necessary expenses in this process.

According to Darakhvelidze, 87 Ukrainian citizens are currently being in Dariali checkpoint attempting to cross the Georgian state border with “invalid documents.”

“Taking into account state security interests, these individuals are not allowed to enter the country, since all of them have a criminal background and have been convicted in the past for serious crimes. Besides, they lack valid documents to cross the border and do not meet the criteria for admission into Georgia,” he said.

The Deputy Minister explained that the MIA held various meetings with the Ukrainian Embassy and representatives of international organizations, police attaches, through which Georgia offered several mechanisms to safely return Ukrainian citizens to Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian side has so far refrained from using the mechanism of their citizens’ return by sea. And until today we have not received the final official confirmation regarding their organized return to their homeland by charter flight,” he said, adding that with the involvement of the Ukrainian side, in June-July of 2025, 37 of 134 individuals had left Georgia for Moldova and approximately 10 for other countries.

Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said Georgia suspected that Ukraine “is dragging the process in time artificially” to “force Georgia to let its citizens into its territory.”

“We categorically declare that we will not endanger the security and law and order of the population of our country,” he stated, urging Ukraine to “take immediate measures to ensure the return of its citizens to Ukraine.”

“Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs reconfirms its readiness to implement all relevant measures to assist Ukraine in the process of its citizens being in the so-called neutral zone to return to their motherland and, in addition, to cover all the related expenses.

The MIA, together with the Foreign Ministry and relevant state agencies, takes necessary measures to, on the one hand, ensure security of Georgian citizens and, on the other hand, to timely return individuals in the so-called neutral zone to their homeland,” Darakhvelidze stated.