Ukraine completed another successful evacuation from Afghanistan, bringing 96 people from Kabul to Kyiv on the night of Sept. 23, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency.
Thirty Ukrainian citizens and their family members, as well as 9 people with Ukrainian residency permits, were on the flight.
The passengers also included 18 people, reportedly students, who were evacuated at the request of the Vatican, as well as two people requested by Canada.
“Our special forces have shown a high level of professionalism and once again proved that they can be reliable partners for Western allies,” the agency said. “Successful actions of the representatives of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine brought our country to a dozen European countries that have the highest result in the evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the President’s Office, Ukraine’s Intelligence Agency and the representatives of Turkey, Pakistan, and Qatar all took part in evacuation talks.
Since Afghanistan’s government collapsed in mid-August and the Taliban, a radical Islamist movement, took over the country, Ukraine’s has evacuated over 700 people, including many foreigners and international journalists.
Yet despite the praise Ukraine has earned from the international media, not everyone who wanted to evacuate had the ability to do so.
In early September, the Kyiv Post wrote about dozens of Ukrainians and their family members in Afghanistan who claimed to have been ignored by Ukrainian embassies, and were waiting for evacuation.
Read more: How dozens of Ukrainians were left stranded in Afghanistan
One of those Ukrainians, Atif Raziki, told the Kyiv Post that he and his family were once again unable to catch the flight because, according to Ukrainian authorities, Raziki’s family was not on the list of evacuees.
Yet according to Raziki, his family was confirmed to be on the evacuation list months ago, and he’s been keeping in touch with the Ukrainian Embassy in Tajikistan.
Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar says Ukraine will continue working to evacuate all Ukrainians and persons who have the necessary residency permits and visas from Kabul.
Maliar also added that the political situation in Afghanistan remains difficult, which hinders evacuation.
Read more: What Afghanistan’s fall means for Ukraine, another US ally at war
