Georgian Interior Ministry Denies Report of 20,000 Russians Crossing Border via Lars

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has refuted the information that 20,000 Russian citizens crossed into Georgia via the Lars customs checkpoint in the past 24 hours. According to the ministry's statement, the data indicates that 7,880 citizens from various countries crossed the state border of Georgia via the Lars customs checkpoint during this period.

“Various media and social networks are disseminating information that 20,000 Russian citizens have crossed the Georgian border through the Lars customs checkpoint in the last 24 hours,” the statement reads. “In order to inform the public, we would like to clarify that the aforementioned information is inaccurate and serves the purpose of deliberate disinformation by certain interested parties.”

The ministry further clarified that during the same 24-hour period, 8,406 citizens from various countries left the country through the same checkpoint. “We urge all interested parties to refrain from spreading unverified information, as well as misinterpreting and distorting various data,” the statement said.

For your information, according to the Federal Customs Service of Russia, on August 18, the “Zemo Larsi” checkpoint on the Russo-Georgian border was crossed by 20,000 people. The Federal Customs Service of Russia reported that this is a record figure.

“A similar dynamic has been observed for several days; on August 15 and 16, the checkpoint was crossed by 19,000 people daily. The current figures significantly exceed those of the same periods in previous years,” stated the announcement from the Russian Federal Customs Service.

The announcement also mentioned that customs and border services are taking all necessary measures to ensure the unhindered movement of vehicles. “We have increased shifts and more staff are involved, which allows us to increase throughput and expedite the clearance of vehicles,” the statement concluded.