Russia deports Ukrainians through Georgia, using it as a means of political pressure: Sibiga
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga stated that the Russian Federation is deliberately using the deportation of Ukrainian citizens to the border with Georgia as a tool of pressure on Ukraine and its partners. About this reported Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to the increase in the number of such cases from June 2025.
According to the minister, Russia has sharply increased the number of transferred Ukrainians, mostly former prisoners, to the Georgian border. In many cases, we are talking about people who do not have any documents with them. As a result, dozens of people were stuck in the transit zone, unable to cross any border on their own.
Sybiga emphasized that Ukraine is promptly responding to the situation: Ukrainian consuls are working on drawing up the necessary documents and organizing the transit of citizens home. It has already been possible to take 43 people to Ukraine through the territory of Moldova, including former political prisoner Andrii Kolomiets. However, others remain in uncertain and difficult conditions on the Georgian border.
The head of the Foreign Ministry also said that Ukraine is closely coordinating actions with the Georgian and Moldovan parties to resolve the situation. At the same time, he emphasized that there is no guarantee that Moscow will not continue or intensify the practice of deportations, and this creates a constant threat for vulnerable Ukrainian citizens, in particular those who were captured or were under pressure from the occupation authorities.
In this regard, Andriy Sybiga publicly appealed to Russia to change the scheme of deportations and stop deporting Ukrainians through third countries. The minister suggested transferring such persons directly to the border with Ukraine, which would avoid humanitarian crises in transit zones and unnecessary political manipulations.
