Ukraine intends to keep evacuating citizens from Afghanistan beyond Aug 31 – MFA

Ukraine plans to continue the evacuation of Ukrainians from Afghanistan beyond August 31, while the relevant routes may be adjusted depending on the developments at Kabul Airport.

That's according to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oleh Nikolenko who spoke with Ukrinform on Tuesday

The spokesman stated that security risks in the country keep growing.

"Over the past few days, the Foreign Ministry and the Embassy of Ukraine in Tajikistan have been witnessing a new wave of requests for evacuation from Afghanistan. Now the embassy is clarifying data on people, their number, location, and liaising with them," Nikolenko said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that, on behalf of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, diplomats, together with representatives of other agencies, are working out further safe evacuation routes, including other airports or land routes.

"As soon as the first opportunity arises, all our citizens who have reported about their situation to the Ukrainian embassy in Tajikistan will receive instructions on further action," he said.

At the same time, Nikolenko noted that sensationalizing the evacuation efforts harms them, creating risks for both those seeking to flee the country and those who are eager to help them.

"We’ve been working 24/7 and we won’t leave anyone to their own devices," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

In this context, Nikolenko recalled that Ukraine had already organized six evacuation flights in unprecedentedly difficult conditions, extracting more than 650 people. Thus Ukraine is among the countries that carried out the highest number of such successful operations amid the ongoing turmoil in Afghanistan.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the United States completed the withdrawal of its military forces from Afghanistan, wrapping up a 20-year mission, just a day before the deadline previously set by the White House chief.

im