Kyiv accuses Russia of leaving Ukrainians stranded at Georgian border
Andrii Sybiha said Russia was stepping up the expulsions of Ukrainians - many of them former prisoners - over the southern frontier, rather than sending them directly over its border with Ukraine.
That amounted to Russia "weaponizing the deportation of Ukrainian citizens," he added on X.
There was no immediate response from Moscow, which has denied accusations of mistreating or targeting civilians since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"Since June, Russia has significantly increased the number of deported Ukrainian nationals, mostly former convicts, to the border with Georgia," Sybiha wrote.
"As a result, dozens of people, many of whom lack proper documentation, have been stuck in the transit zone."
Sybiha said 43 citizens, including former political prisoner Andrii Kolomiyets, have been transported from Georgia to Ukraine via Moldova, but more people remain in "difficult conditions" at the border.
Sybiha called on Russia to transport them to the Ukrainian border instead.
Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had discussed the matter with Sybiha.
"These are Ukrainians released by Russians from prisons and penal colonies in Russia-controlled territory," Zelenskiy said.
"Ukrainian diplomats are arranging the transit of these citizens of our state back to Ukraine."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
MTG urges Donald Trump to commute George Santos' prison sentence
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling on the Trump administration to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos, who was sentenced to seven years in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. ' George Santos has taken responsibility,' Greene wrote on X, sharing a letter she sent to the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney. 'He's shown remorse. It's time to correct this injustice.' 'I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions,' the letter reads. 'However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.' Greene claimed Santos, who has sold Cameo videos speaking to fans and hosted a podcast playing on his reputation called Pants on Fire, was 'sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions.' In April, Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft after pleading guilty last year and agreeing to nearly $374,000 in restitution payments. The following month, the former New York representative, who prosecutors accused of pocketing thousands of dollars in donor funds, appealed to the president for a full pardon. 'Previously, I was not entertaining a pardon because I didn't know what my judgment would be. Now, I am in the process of filling an application to a pardon for the president. I'll take a commutation, a clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,' Santos said in an interview with Piers Morgan. 'I do believe this is an unfair judgment handed down to me,' he added. 'There was a lot of politicization over the process.' Santos, 37, is now in custody at a federal prison in Fairton, New Jersey. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023, following the release of a damning ethics report. He shared a goodbye post on X before entering prison thanking his allies and critics alike. 'Well, darlings…The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.' Santos was charged with 23 felony counts for three alleged schemes to use donor money and government assistance funds to enrich himself while running for Congress. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. The Republican, who was elected in 2022, also grabbed headlines for exaggerating details about his education and work experience, as well as his mother's whereabouts during 9/11 and his Jewish heritage. Greene has sought presidential intervention for controversial figures before. In May, she asked the president to pardon Derek Chauvin, the then-Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd in a widely seen 2020 incident that set off national protests.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Netherlands to buy €500m of US arms for Kyiv in first for new Nato supply line
The Netherlands has said it will contribute €500m ($578m/£500m) to buy US military equipment for Ukraine, becoming the first Nato country to contribute to a new mechanism to supply Kyiv with American weapons. The Dutch defence minister, Ruben Brekelmans, said on X on Monday that the package would include Patriot parts and missiles. Nato's chief, Mark Rutte, welcomed the announcement and said he had encouraged other alliance members to participate in the new mechanism, called the Nato prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl) initiative. 'This is about getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs now to defend itself against Russian aggression,' Rutte – a former Dutch prime minister – said in a statement, adding that he expected 'further significant announcements from other allies soon'. President Donald Trump said last month the US would provide weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, without providing details on how this would work. The US ambassador to Nato said he expected many more countries to announce over the coming weeks that they would participate. 'We're moving as fast as possible,' Matthew Whitaker told Reuters on Monday. Asked about a timeline for getting US deliveries to Ukraine under the new mechanism, he said: 'I think we'll see it moving very quickly, certainly in the coming weeks, but some even sooner than that. The Dutch are just the first of many.' Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the Netherlands' decision. 'Ukraine, and thus the whole of Europe, will be better protected from Russian terror,' the Ukrainian president said on X. 'I am sincerely grateful to the Netherlands for their substantial contribution to strengthening Ukraine's air shield.' Donald Trump's special envoy is expected in Moscow days before Donald Trump's deadline on Friday for Russia to make progress on ending the Ukraine war or face increased US sanctions, reports Shaun Walker. The US president said Steve Witkoff would visit Moscow on Wednesday or Thursday. When asked what message Witkoff would take to Russia and what Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, could do to avoid new sanctions, Trump: 'Get a deal where people stop getting killed.' Sources in Kyiv said they expected Keith Kellogg, Trump's Ukraine envoy, to visit the country towards the end of the week, possibly to coincide with Witkoff's visit to Moscow. Ukraine said on Monday it had charged six people, including a lawmaker and a government official, for embezzling funds in the purchase of drones and jamming equipment for the military. Anti-corruption authorities said on Saturday they had uncovered a scheme offering kickbacks for purchases at inflated prices and that it allegedly involved a legislator, one current and one now-sacked official, a National Guard commander and two businessmen. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau alleged the bribes totalled about 30% of the contracts' value and that the drone contract was worth $240,000, with an inflation of about $80,000. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had visited Ukrainian troops holding the line in the Kharkiv region bordering Russia and discussed how drones were used in fighting. 'Our warriors in this sector are reporting the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war,' the Ukrainian president said on a social media on Monday. 'We will respond.' Donald Trump said on Monday he would substantially raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,' Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. 'Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.' Trump earlier announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods starting last Friday, while New Delhi said it would safeguard its interests and called its targeting 'unjustified'. Russia's Ryazan oil refinery has halted around half its refining capacity since 2 August after a Ukrainian drone attack last week, three industry sources told Reuters. Two primary oil refining units at the Rosneft-operated refinery – about 180km south-east of Moscow – were stopped after the attacks, they said.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fears Russia will sink its own ships in a 'false flag' and blame the West after the Kremlin accused Britain of preparing 'mass raids'
Russia is feared to be preparing false flag attacks on its shadow fleet of sea vessels in order to deter the West from further sanctioning them. According to the Telegraph, a report from the SVR, Moscow 's foreign intelligence service, claimed that the UK was plotting to attack Russia's fleet of ships used to subvert sanctions. The SVR said that the attacks would be designed to look like accidents, causing significant environmental damage and allowing the UK and the rest of NATO to justify further actions against them. The report claimed: 'British intelligence services are planning to use NATO allies to launch a mass raid on the "shadow fleet"; for this purpose, an ecological catastrophe in international waters is being prepared.' But experts said the report's publication raised concerns that Russia is preparing its own false flag operation, a scheme carried out by the Kremlin but designed to look like it has British origins. Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at RUSI, told the newspaper: 'One interpretation might be that the Russians are insuring themselves against something breaking down or sinking, in a way that creates a pretext for restricting [their movement across the ocean].' So far, at least six tankers have suffered mysterious explosions since the start of the year. The suspicion has largely fallen on Ukraine, as all of the tankers were docked in Russian ports. Some of them were carrying Russian oil. It comes after the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned UK financial firms that Russian oil trading companies are utilising a complex network of companies with deliberately obscure ownership structures in order to evade sanctions. Britain has banned the maritime transportation of Russian oil as its energy exports are funding the war in Ukraine. In 2024, 30 per cent of Russia's federal budget came from oil and gas sales. But Russian oil trading companies are managing to circumvent sanctions to get Western cash which is continuing to fund the Russian state, investigators believe. One of the companies sanctioned last year used over 100 Shadow Fleet oil tankers, vessels which are usually over 15 years old which secretly carry Russian oil. To avoid detection, flags are regularly changed and the ship's automatic identification system is turned off to avoid its movements being tracked, while the oil is often transferred from one ship to another to obscure its origin before the shipment reaches its destination. Over 400 Shadow Fleet vessels have so far been sanctioned by the UK, EU, US and Canada. An NCA spokesman said: 'Today, the National Crime Agency has issued an alert to financial institutions and other members of the UK regulated sector in relation to the sale of Russian oil and gas through the use of Shadow Fleet vessels and front companies. 'Sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have had a significant impact on its ability to sell oil and gas it produces. 'However, in an effort to circumvent these controls, Russian oil trading companies are utilising a complex network of companies with deliberately obscure ownership structures to evade sanctions whilst accessing Western finance and professional services in order to continue to fund the Russian state.'
