HUR Evacuates 34 People From Syria to Ukraine

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) has evacuated 34 people from Syria in recent days as instructed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, the agency’s Saturday press release says.  

The press release says 31 Ukrainian nationals and three Syrian family members were repatriated. HUR said the group consisted of 15 children.

The evacuation supposedly took place through Lebanon, where the flights brought them to Chisinau in Moldova before they were brought back to Ukraine by bus. 

Ukrainian charter airline SkyUp operated the flight to Chisinau, presumably from Lebanon, according to the press release. 

The evacuation is likely part of an internationally coordinated effort, with HUR thanking multiple people and agencies in Lebanon, Moldova and Syria for their assistance. 

“We would like to thank Tamer Altunsi, a Ukrainian and Syrian public figure, entrepreneur, diplomat, and Honorary Consul General of Ukraine in the city of Aleppo, Syria, for his assistance in carrying out the mission,” the press release says.

“We express our gratitude to the Lebanese side, in particular to the General Manager of Sports and Youth Institutions in Lebanon, Dr. Naji Hammoud,” it added. HUR also hinted at Moldova’s official assistance by thanking “the authorities of the Republic of Moldova for their assistance in implementing the evacuation mission.”

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One evacuated Ukrainian citizen was quoted by HUR as saying this was the first time she “[saw her] relatives for the first time in 10 years.”

Moscow-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted on Dec. 8 by rebel groups in a lightning offensive, prompting concerns of widespread uncertainty in the region where some are hopeful for liberal changes, some fearful of extremist resurgence. 

In October, HUR evacuated 179 people from Lebanon, including 134 Ukrainian citizens, after Israel launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon following the escalation of its war in Gaza.