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Russia will try to help Ukrainians stranded in Afghanistan, Russian ambassador pledges

The mission will try to help the Afghans with Russian passports, Dmitry Zhirnov said

MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. Nationals of post-Soviet republics, including Ukrainians, seek help with evacuation from Afghanistan at the Russian embassy in Kabul, and the mission will try to help both them and the Afghans with Russian passports, Russia’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said on the YouTube channel Solovyev Live on Saturday.

"They are contacting us," the diplomat said when asked if requests from citizens of post-Soviet republics come to the Russian embassy.

"We will try to help them, including Ukrainians. As for Afghans, there are a lot of Afghans who have second Russian citizenship. So they are naturally top priority for us. We view them as our citizens and we will help them."

On August 15, the Taliban movement (banned in Russia) swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance and taking complete control of the Afghan capital within hours. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced he was leaving the country to avoid bloodshed. Western nations are evacuating their citizens and diplomatic missions.

On February 14, 2003, Russia’s Supreme Court handed down a ruling declaring the Taliban to be a terrorist organization, which is outlawed in Russia.

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