Georgia refuses to admit former prisoners from Ukraine who were forcibly transported to Russian colonies. Seven men have been living at the Upper Lars checkpoint for 14 days. Volunteers Tbilisi, an organization that assists Ukrainian refugees in Georgia, shared this information with Meduza.
According to volunteers, the men first attempted to cross the border on October 11, but they were not allowed into Georgia, as they were told they needed to receive a response from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs first. Only four of them have Ukrainian passports, while three others have only a certificate of release from Russian prisons. The men are forced to sleep on the floor at the checkpoint, and volunteers provide them with food and water.
All former prisoners had been serving their sentences in Kherson prisons, but they were transported to Russia in the fall of 2022 when Russian forces retreated from the city. According to one of the men, after their release, he and others were brought to a deportation center in Volgograd, where they were issued decrees prohibiting them from entering Russia for eight years.
One of the former prisoners, in protest, reportedly cut his veins. He received medical assistance, and his condition is now stable.
"We are all citizens of Ukraine and simply want to return home," another Ukrainian stated.
