Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has sent a letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tanking him for evacuating Ukrainians from the Gaza Strip.

"Now when our compatriots were taken from the Gaza Strip and stay safe on the motherland I would like to sincerely thank You and the Russian government for successfully prepared and carried out evacuation of Ukrainian citizens. This is a true manifestation of traditionally friendly relations between out peoples," the Ukrainian presidential press service quoted Yuschenko as saying.

Two aircraft of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry took 45 Ukrainians, including 12 adults and 33 children to Moscow's Domodedovo airport, where representatives of the Ukrainian embassy to Russia met them.