At least 45 Ukrainians, whom Russia has decided to deport, are being held in a basement without food or water at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on the border with Georgia.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the ASTRA Telegram channel.
“At least 45 Ukrainian citizens deported from Russia have been held in a basement at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on the border with Georgia for several days. Most of them are former prisoners taken from the occupied territories, but there are also civilians among them. The Volunteers Tbilisi project also reports on a woman who was allegedly taken away by force,” the report says.
Among those detained are people with HIV, tuberculosis, and disabilities, who are not being fed or provided with medical care. Many are deteriorating, and one person has already been hospitalized.
“Eight of us arrived three days ago. Every day, more people are brought here, and our numbers are growing. There are now 45 people, some of whom have been here for a month. There are disabled people and people with serious illnesses. We are in a basement with no utilities: there is no shower or toilet, and we are not being fed. Volunteers bring humanitarian aid, but it only lasts for a few days and not everyone gets any. The basement is damp, there are water drops on the ceiling, there is nothing to breathe, everyone smokes, and they don’t let us outside. We sleep for 4 hours at a time, taking turns. Some sleep on the floor,“ one of the detainees, who was forcibly deported from Russia and placed in this basement ”without any explanation,” told ASTRA.
According to volunteers, there are only 17 beds in the basement, while hundreds more people are expected to arrive.
“Everyone is banned from entering Russia and cannot return. Previously, it was possible to enter Georgia, but now people remain in isolation, without documents or assistance. Georgia does not provide medical assistance, the Volunteers Tbilisi fund account has been blocked, and assistance is provided only by volunteers. When the border opens, these people will have nowhere to go,” the statement said.
It is noted that the basement at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint for deported Ukrainians who were denied entry to Russia but were also not allowed into Georgia due to a lack of documents has been in operation since at least 2023. At the same time, according to volunteers, 16 Ukrainians with passports, who would previously have been allowed to cross the border freely, were sent to the basement this time. Three more have confirmation of their identity from the Ukrainian embassy.
According to the project, since 2024, Russia has practically not released Ukrainians whom it has decided to deport. However, in early June, the flow of people unexpectedly resumed. This is probably due to upcoming changes in Georgia’s migration legislation.
“Russia may be rushing to ‘kick out’ as many people as possible before the new rules come into force,” ASTRA believes.
The Volunteers Tbilisi Foundation is a volunteer movement that helps refugees from Ukraine obtain information, food, medicine, medical assistance, and temporary housing in Tbilisi.
As reported, Russia is tightening filtration measures on the border with the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to human rights activists.
Photo: ASTRA
Source: Russia holds dozens of deported Ukrainians in basement without food or water – media
