Citizens Returning to Armenia from Russia Stranded in Lars for Nearly a Month

Citizens of Armenia returning from the Russian Federation with their own vehicles have been stranded in the neutral zone near the border, unable to enter Georgia for several weeks. They have been living in their cars during this time. This information was shared with Shamshyan.com by the citizens themselves.

One citizen recounted, "The Russians left us, but the Georgians aren’t allowing us to cross. I crossed the Russian border on April 10, and until now, I have been stuck in the neutral zone at the Russia-Georgia border. My money has run out, the weather is cold, and I have been warming my car every day. We have been here in Lars for almost a month now—it’s a neutral zone. The Georgians don’t even speak Russian, and we cannot understand them. We contacted the embassy; on April 28, a representative came, speaking to us in a manner that was quite condescending; I don’t know what to say. Until today, we are sleeping in our cars and bathing in the river water. Currently, there are five cars here, and we don’t know what our fate will be."

Another resident, who has also been stuck in the neutral zone, mentioned that they have called the embassy multiple times, but they are not receiving any help. "The embassy tells us, ‘Who let you in? You should get in line and come by plane,’ but there is someone with us who has been waiting for 20 days, hungry and thirsty, for a plane. Right now, they have taken us from the customs area in Lars and stopped us 200 meters away, not allowing us to move forward," stated the citizen who contacted the site.