“The CPD stressed that “the Ukrainian side is operating systematically from the very beginning of this situation””, – WRITE: www.radiosvoboda.org
“Information that Ukraine allegedly refuses to accept about 90 of its citizens at the Upper Lars checkpoint is a fake,” they say in the department.
At the same time, according to the CPD, the situation is different. In particular, as explained in GUR, from the beginning of the full -scale war of the Russian Federation illegally exported convicts from the occupied territories.
“After – when the sentence of these people has expired, they were released with certificates in their hands that are not documents for crossing the border. The decision to enter is made by the Georgian side. The Ukrainian Consulate in Tbilisi issues notes that confirm the readiness to issue a certificate for return to Ukraine. But such a certificate can be obtained only by those whose citizenship is confirmed, ”the CPD said.
In addition, the CPD specified that if a person is not a citizen of Ukraine – the consul has no reason to draw up documents.
In addition, the CPD emphasized that “the Ukrainian side has been operating systematically from the very beginning of this situation.” The office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, GUR, coordination headquarters and Ombudsman are addressed.
“Yes, all citizens of Ukraine who have supporting documents receive assistance and return home. The purpose of the fake is to discredit Ukraine as a state that allegedly “throws its own”, – the motif of the Russian Federation explained in the CPD.
“Most of these persons have a criminal past and have been convicted of serious or particularly serious crimes, as evidenced by documents about their release from prison. They themselves claim that the crimes were served in penitentiary institutions. Therefore, in the interests of state security, they were not missed in the country, ”the Ministry’s statement reads.
Georgia is currently the only route through which Ukrainian expired people can return home from the occupied territories or after deportation to Russia. At the same time, without any documents, Ukrainian experts for weeks or months are stuck at the Russian-Georgian border until they receive confirmation from the Embassy of Ukraine that they are its citizens. After that, they can get a white passport in a diploma in the capital of Georgia and return home.
For the first time, the journalists of the Radio Liberty project spoke about this problem. In the documentary “Back me home”, they showed how Ukrainian deported by the invaders overcome the way home. And in July last year, during the presentation of the tape in Kiev, this issue was discussed with human rights activists, representatives of the prosecutor’s office and the then Minister of Justice Denis Martuska.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs notes that Ukraine has proposed several options for returning citizens – including aviation and sea routes. However, the final decision has not yet been made.
“Joint consultations are underway on the mechanism of safe return of these people to their native land, including their transportation. We hope that the Ukrainian side will make a timely decision to return its citizens to their homeland, ”the Georgia Ministry of Internal Affairs noted.
On July 19, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said that since June, Russia has significantly increased the number of deported Ukrainian citizens, mostly former prisoners who have been sent to the border with Georgia. As a result, dozens of people, many of whom do not have the proper documents, are stuck in the transit zone.
“Russia uses the deportation of Ukrainian citizens through Georgia as a pressure tool. Ukrainian consuls are actively working to provide these persons with documents and ensure their transit to Ukraine through Moldova. We are actively cooperating with the Georgian and Moldovan sides to bring our citizens to Ukraine, ”Sibiga said.
The minister also added that there is no guarantee that Russia will not increase the number of deported. In order to avoid further complications, he urged the Russian Federation to transfer Ukrainian citizens directly to the border with Ukraine: “We are ready to accept them there. There are appropriate areas of the border where you can do it. ”
On the same day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his social network page that Andrei Sibiga reported about the situation at the border between Russia and Georgia. He noted that diplomats are organized by the transit of these citizens of Ukraine.