65 Ukrainian nationals who had been stranded at the Russia-Georgia border crossing after being deported from Russia have now been flown home to Ukraine, according to Georgia’s interior ministry, marking the end of a two-month long ordeal.

On August 22, Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, announced the foreign citizens had voluntarily returned to Ukraine on a chartered flight via Moldova.

“The [Georgia] Ministry of Internal Affairs ensured the transfer of the Ukrainian citizens from the border checkpoint in Dariali to Tbilisi International Airport, where they were handed over to representatives of Ukrainian law enforcement,” the official MIA statement read.

The ministry further noted the Ukrainians’ passage home had been granted as a result of “prolonged and multifaceted negotiations between the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ukrainian side”.

In early August, Tbilisi had appealed to the Ukrainian authorities to “immediately take measures” to ensure their citizens’ return home.

A group of 80-90 Ukrainian deportees been held at the stateless “buffer zone” at the Dariali border checkpoint since early June, after they were deported from Russia and denied passage into Georgia.

The Ukrainian nationals reported abysmal living conditions on the border, where they were forced to share a windowless basement with little ventilation and containing just 24 beds.

One individual attempted suicide, while others took part in a hunger strike in protest.

The deportees reportedly comprised several groups including those jailed in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, Ukrainians who had served prison sentences in Russia, and residents of occupied Ukrainian territories with no criminal record who had refused Russian citizenship.

In a statement on Facebook on August 22, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted that among those repatriated were 10 women and eight seriously ill individuals.

Citing the stranded individuals’ “serious criminal pasts”, the Georgian interior ministry previously stated that the Ukrainians were being denied entry into Georgia “on the grounds of national security interests”.

The ministry also noted the individuals had invalid documents, and further suggested they were only posing as Ukrainian citizens.

Volunteers Tbilisi, a humanitarian aid programme working with the deportees, criticised these claims, highlighting that some being held on the border “had never committed a criminal offence and have no criminal record”.

Kiev, meanwhile, accused Moscow of “weaponising deportations” of Ukrainian citizens through Georgia” and deliberately creating a “humanitarian crisis” on the Russia-Georgia border.

The crisis, the Ukrainian foreign ministry stated, emerged in June when Russia dramatically increased the number of Ukrainian citizens deported via the Dariali checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border, rather than sending them straight to Ukraine, despite repeated calls from Kyiv to do so.

Sybiha also noted that Moscow’s continued refusal to ignore Kyiv’s request would signal a “planned Russian operation and against Ukraine”.

Sybiha added that 44 Ukrainians had previously been returned home from the Diriali checkpoint, bringing the total repatriated to 109 in recent months.

According to Georgian outlets, around 25 Ukrainians remain on the state border.

Georgia’s interior ministry said it was continuing “intensive negotiations” with Ukraine and international organisations regarding their return home.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry confirmed that it was continuing to work with Ukraine’s embassies in Georgia and Moldova to repatriate those citizens remaining on the border.