Georgia facilitates return of 65 Ukrainian citizens stranded at Dariali crossing

Sixty-five Ukrainian citizens who had been stranded at the Dariali border crossing between Georgia and Russia have been returned to Ukraine following lengthy negotiations, Georgia’s Interior Ministry said on Friday.

The group was transferred from the border crossing point to Tbilisi International Airport, where they were handed over to representatives of Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies. They then departed on a charter flight via a third country, the MIA noted.

Talks between Georgian authorities and their Ukrainian counterparts are continuing over the remaining individuals still at the border. Officials said efforts were under way with Ukraine and international organisations to ensure the safe and voluntary repatriation of those who remain.

The Interior Ministry stressed it was ready to take all necessary steps within its mandate to support the return process, while safeguarding Georgia’s security.

In recent months, 87 people arriving from Russia and claiming to be Ukrainian citizens sought entry into Georgia through the so-called neutral zone at Dariali. Georgian authorities refused entry, citing invalid documents and criminal backgrounds. Officials said all of them had multiple convictions for serious or particularly serious offences, and therefore did not meet the criteria for legal entry into Georgia.

The issue has been the subject of numerous meetings between Georgian officials, Ukraine’s embassy in Tbilisi, and international organisations. Police liaison officers in Ukraine were also involved in coordinating the solution, the body said. 

Authorities in Tbilisi expressed hope that the process concerning those who remain at the border will not be delayed further, allowing them to return to Ukraine in the near future.