Georgian authorities are reportedly holding at least 36 Ukrainian nationals deported from Russia in a basement of an unfinished building near its border checkpoint with Russia. A human rights group has said that the Ukrainians are being held in poor conditions with few mattresses and little food.
According to Volunteers Tbilisi, a human rights group which offers assistance to Ukrainian refugees, the 36 Ukrainians are reportedly being held near the Upper Lars border checkpoint with Georgia in North Ossetia.
Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe has also reported that those being held in the basement include both former Ukrainian prisoners of war removed from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine and civilians deported by the Russian authorities. According to another Russian independent media outlet, ASTRA, the number of detainees may be as high as 45, based on the account of a Ukrainian currently being held there.
‘We are sitting in a basement without any amenities: there is no shower or toilet, and we are not being fed. Volunteers bring aid, but it is only enough for a couple of days and not for everyone. The basement is damp, there are drops of water on the ceiling, there is no air, everyone smokes, and we are not allowed outside. We sleep in shifts of four hours. Some sleep on the floor’, one of the detainees told ASTRA.
According to Volunteers Tbilisi, the Ukrainians being held in the basement are only provided 17 mattresses and beds to share amongst all of them. Maintaining sanitary conditions and providing medical care is impossible due to the lack of the necessary facilities. One Ukrainian has already been hospitalised with an open form of tuberculosis, according to the foundation.
The volunteers note that those at Upper Lars cannot return to Russia — they have been officially banned from entry — and are not allowed into Georgia due to not having any passports or formal identity documents.
Among those brought to the border were 16 people with Ukrainian passports and another three with official identity confirmation from the Ukrainian authorities. Despite having documents, they too were not allowed to enter Georgian territory, according to representatives of Volunteers Tbilisi.
‘All have been banned from entering the Russian Federation and cannot return. Previously, entry into Georgia was possible — now these people remain in isolation, without documents or assistance. Georgia does not provide medical aid, the bank account of Volunteers Tbilisi has been blocked, and assistance is only being provided by volunteers. When the border opens, these people will have nowhere to go’, the volunteers said in an official statement. The organisation did not provide any further information as to why their bank account had been blocked.
Until June 2024, such deportations were uncommon, with no more than five to 10 people being held at the border. However, since the beginning of June 2025, the number of deported Ukrainians has increased sharply. Volunteers believe the increase may be related to upcoming changes in Georgian migration legislation, which are expected to tighten rules for crossing the border and expelling foreigners. Many of those being deported have previously served sentences for minor offences or lived in Russia without documentation.
As of publication, Russian and Georgian authorities have not issued any official comments on the situation at the border. But epresentatives of the Border and Migration Control Service at Dariali told OC Media that there have been increased attempts to cross Georgia’s border by Ukrainian citizens coming from Russia. They noted that many of these Ukrainian nationals lack the proper documentation required to cross the border.
‘Moreover, the majority of them have criminal records for serious and particularly serious crimes and had been serving sentences in Ukrainian penitentiary institutions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs says it is in constant coordination with the Ukrainian side regarding this issue’, a representative told OC Media.
OC Media
