At the Russia-Georgia border, 96 Ukrainian citizens are currently present, and Moscow is deliberately attempting to create a humanitarian crisis. This is stated in a press release issued by the press service of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement notes that since the second half of June 2025, Russia has significantly intensified the deportation of Ukrainian citizens through the Georgian border, which has caused a humanitarian crisis at the “Darial” border checkpoint, leading some Ukrainians to declare a hunger strike.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry highlights that, thanks to the efforts of diplomats and Ukraine’s competent authorities, 44 Ukrainian citizens have already been evacuated from the buffer zone of the Russia-Georgia border since late June.

The statement indicates that, at the same time, Russia has continued to send large numbers of deportees, which may suggest a targeted Russian operation. As of now, 96 Ukrainian citizens are in the buffer zone of the border checkpoint.

“Our state is ready to directly evacuate its people, rather than through Georgia and Moldova. At this moment, we note that Russia is ignoring this call, which further indicates Moscow’s deliberate intent to create a humanitarian crisis at the Russia-Georgia border,” the statement reads.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian citizens stranded at “Darial” are in particularly dire conditions, as the Georgian side has expressed readiness to provide organized transportation to Tbilisi Airport only after Moldova, as a transit country, confirms its willingness to accept them.

The statement notes that on August 5, the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia received a request from five Ukrainian citizens stranded at “Darial,” announcing an indefinite hunger strike to demand permission to cross the Georgian border. Following this information, consuls from the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia went to the border to meet with the Ukrainian citizens and requested immediate and unimpeded access from the Georgian side.

It is noted that the consuls are in constant contact with the Ukrainian citizens at the “Darial” border checkpoint, including those who have started the hunger strike.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry states that the majority of Ukrainian citizens deported by Russia to the Georgian border are individuals who had previously been held criminally liable. Among them are those who served sentences in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories and were then forcibly transferred to Russian territory, as well as Ukrainian citizens who were in Russia and were prosecuted for crimes committed there.