Ukraine Accuses Russia of Deliberately Creating Humanitarian Crisis at Georgia Border
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused Russia of deliberately creating a humanitarian crisis at the Russia-Georgia border, where 96 Ukrainian citizens are currently stranded at the Darial checkpoint.
In a press release issued on August 6, the ministry said Russia has significantly increased the deportation of Ukrainian nationals since mid-June, directing them toward the Georgian border and creating what Kyiv describes as a calculated bottleneck. According to the statement, this has led to severe humanitarian conditions in the buffer zone between Russia and Georgia, prompting at least five individuals to begin a hunger strike in protest.
"Russia continues to send deportees to the border, disregarding Ukraine's repeated offers to evacuate its citizens directly," the ministry said. "This points to a deliberate effort by Moscow to manufacture a humanitarian crisis."
According to Ukrainian officials, 44 citizens have been evacuated from the area since late June, thanks to coordinated efforts by Ukrainian diplomats and government agencies. However, the continued influx of deported individuals has kept the number of stranded citizens high.
The ministry emphasized that the deportees include individuals with past criminal records. Some were held in Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia and later forcibly transferred to Russian detention facilities, while others were prosecuted for crimes committed within Russia.
The press release also described the challenging conditions faced by those at the border. The Georgian government, according to Kyiv, has expressed willingness to help transport the deportees to Tbilisi Airport, but only after Moldova confirms it is prepared to receive them as a transit country. This dependency on third-party coordination has further delayed evacuation efforts.
On August 5, the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia received a letter from five citizens at Darial announcing an indefinite hunger strike to protest their treatment and demand permission to cross into Georgia. In response, Ukrainian consuls traveled to the border and requested immediate and unrestricted access from Georgian authorities.
"The consuls are in constant contact with the citizens at the checkpoint, including those participating in the hunger strike," the ministry said.
Ukraine reiterated its willingness to evacuate its nationals directly, bypassing Georgia and Moldova if necessary, but said Russia has ignored those requests. Ukrainian officials argue this refusal is further evidence of Moscow's intent to create political and humanitarian pressure along its borders.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community to take note of the situation and hold Russia accountable for a systematic abuse of Ukrainian citizens under the guise of deportations.
