120 Ukrainians want to leave Afghanistan - Foreign Ministry

Some 120 Ukrainians of Afghan descent and their families have expressed their desire to leave Afghanistan, and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is in contact with them, the ministry's spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, has told Ukrinform.

"As of this morning, 120 Ukrainian citizens and their families have expressed their desire to be evacuated from Afghanistan. We are talking about Ukrainians of Afghan descent and people working under private contracts. We are in contact with all of them," he said.

Nikolenko recalled that a plane at Kabul airport was ready to evacuate Ukrainian citizens. At the same time, a ban on flights for civilian aircraft has come into force in Afghanistan. Currently, permits are issued only to military aircraft. The situation at the airport itself also remains uncontrolled.

According to Nikolenko, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, embassies and relevant agencies are currently making every effort to ensure that the plane with the Ukrainians leaves Afghanistan in the near future.

"The number one priority is safety. The evacuation will begin only when safe conditions are created for this. At the same time, other options for evacuating our citizens are being worked out too," he said.

He said that Ukraine would not leave its citizens in Afghanistan to their own devices.

"Ukrainians who are in the country and want to return [to Ukraine] should immediately notify the embassy in Tajikistan or Pakistan. Their relatives can call the Foreign Ministry's hotline. Diplomats will then be able to plan the safest option for assistance," Nikolenko said.

On the morning of August 15, Taliban fighters entered Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, virtually unopposed. The Taliban have said they control all of Afghanistan.

The spokesman for the Taliban's political office, Mohammad Naeem, said the war in Afghanistan was "over" and added that no diplomatic organization had been targeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a Ukrainian plane had flown 80 people, including eight Ukrainians, out of Kabul.

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