Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎ expresses his gratitude to Georgian authorities for their efforts in organising the safe return of Ukrainian citizens stranded at the Dariali border crossing.

As Sybiha acknowledges, both Georgian and Moldovan counterparts played a crucial role in establishing the transit route and addressing logistical challenges.

“On the instruction of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we organised the return to Ukraine of 65 Ukrainian citizens from the buffer zone on the Russian-Georgian border. Among them were 10 women and 8 seriously ill individuals. All of them were at the Georgian Dariali checkpoint, effectively facing a humanitarian crisis created by Russia’s actions. Ukrainian diplomats and consuls made every effort to return the citizens and improve the conditions of their stay at the border, particularly through the involvement of international organisations,” reads the statement by Ukraine’s FM posted on social media.

According to Sybiha, a large group of Ukrainian citizens was transported from Georgia to Ukraine via Moldova between August 21 and 22.

“We express particular gratitude to the official representatives of the Georgian and Moldovan authorities for their assistance in organising the transit route and resolving logistical matters,” Sybiha wrote, recalling that in previous months, Ukraine organised the return of a total of 44 citizens.

Thus, the overall number of Ukrainians successfully returned from the Dariali checkpoint over recent months reached 109 people.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Ukraine’s embassies in Georgia and Moldova, relevant Ukrainian agencies, and the Georgian and Moldovan authorities, continues to work tirelessly to facilitate the return of remaining citizens who wish to be repatriated to Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Foreign Minister wrote.

According to the Foreign Minister, the humanitarian crisis on the Russian-Georgian border arose in the second half of June, when Russia deliberately began sharply increasing the number of Ukrainian citizens it was deporting to this checkpoint. The Ukrainian side has already publicly appealed to the Russian Federation to facilitate the direct deportation of its citizens to Ukraine’s border, rather than through Georgia.

“This proposal remains in effect. 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 distress and will always prioritise the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of its citizens,” FM Sybiha concluded.