Group of Ukrainians deported from Russia stuck on Georgian border

Seventeen Ukrainians deported from Russia are now stranded at the Russo-Georgian border because they lacked all the necessary documents. For nearly a month, they have been forced to live in a basement with bare walls at the Dariali checkpoint near Georgia's Upper Lars, unable to go outside as they await a resolution to their situation.

As reported by Russian media outlet Kholod (Cold), some members of the group are Ukrainians who served their sentences in Russian penal colonies, while others were deported for violating migration laws.

Ukrainian citizen Oleksandr Shulhin, 31, reports that Georgia is refusing them entry because they lack their original passports and is awaiting confirmation of their identity from the Ukrainian authorities. Shulhin also noted that some members of the group are suffering from tuberculosis.

Shulhin added that he holds only Ukrainian citizenship and has lived in Russia for the past 10 years. He was unexpectedly detained and ordered to be deported in January 2024 for violating migration laws, although he had no previous issues in this regard.

Oleksandr says some other Ukrainians in the group have been there for about two months. A volunteer organisation periodically brings them food.

A series of similar cases have been reported previously. Among them were deportees and convicts from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine whose sentences had expired.