Ministry of Internal Affairs issue statement regarding persons arriving from Russia through Dariali border crossing point, claiming to be citizens of Ukraine

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at the Dariali border crossing point, individuals coming from the Russian Federation, who request to cross the Georgian state border with invalid documents and claim to be citizens of Ukraine, were not allowed to enter the country in the interests of state security.

According to them, the majority of these individuals have a serious criminal past and have been convicted of serious or especially serious crimes more than once.

As the agency notes, the Georgian side has offered the Ukrainian side several mechanisms on how to safely evacuate and return people in the so-called neutral zone to their homeland.

In a statement, the agency hopes that the Ukrainian side will make a timely decision regarding the return of its citizens to their homeland.

“We would like to inform the public about the persons coming from the Russian Federation through the Dariali border crossing point, who are requesting to cross the Georgian state border with invalid documents and claiming to be citizens of Ukraine.

The majority of these persons have a serious criminal record and have been convicted more than once for serious or especially serious crimes, which is confirmed by the reports of their release from penitentiary institutions presented by them. In addition, they themselves state that they were serving their sentences for the crimes they committed in eastern Ukraine. Accordingly, in the interests of state security, they were not allowed to enter the country.

The Georgian side offered the Ukrainian side several mechanisms on how to safely evacuate and return people from the so-called neutral zone to their homeland. We offered options of the return of these persons to their homeland by air and sea. The Ukrainian side has so far refrained from returning by sea and has not yet made a specific decision on their evacuation. However, joint consultations are actively underway to agree on a mechanism for the safe return of these individuals to their homeland, including by air transport. We hope that the Ukrainian side will make a timely decision on the return of its citizens to their homeland.

We would like to remind the public that recently, at the Georgian state border, in particular at the Dariali border crossing point, there have been a number of cases where individuals coming from the Russian Federation have requested to cross the Georgian state border with invalid documents and claim to be citizens of Ukraine. Currently, about 80 such individuals are at the Georgian border, most of whom do not meet the criteria for entry to the Georgian state border.

The most important task of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is to maintain security and law and order, and to prevent the entry of individuals who may pose a threat to the security and peace of the population.

All state agencies, within their competence, are taking the necessary measures to ensure the timely return of persons from the so-called neutral zone to their homeland and to protect the security of our country's population," reads the statement.