Georgian Interior Ministry rejects claim that 20 000 Russians crossed through Lars checkpoint

Georgia’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday dismissed reports claiming that 20,000 Russian citizens entered the country through the Kazbegi (Lars) border crossing within the past 24 hours, stating that the figures are false and misleading.

In an official statement, the Ministry said that a total of 7,880 citizens of various nationalities entered Georgia through the Lars customs checkpoint during the reporting period, while 8,406 individuals exited the country through the same crossing.

The Ministry said the reports circulating in some media outlets and on social media platforms were part of a deliberate effort to spread disinformation.

“Various media outlets and social networks are disseminating information claiming that 20,000 Russian citizens crossed Georgia’s border through the Lars customs checkpoint in the past 24 hours”, the statement said.

According to official border data, 7,880 citizens of various countries entered Georgia through the checkpoint over the previous 24 hours, while 8,406 people left the country through the same route.

“For the purpose of informing the public, we would like to clarify that this information is not true and serves the purpose of deliberately spreading disinformation by certain interested parties”, the Ministry said.

The agency urged the public and media organizations to verify information before publishing or sharing it and cautioned against misinterpreting official statistics.

“We call on all interested parties to refrain from spreading unverified information, as well as from incorrectly interpreting and disseminating various data in a distorted form”, the Interior Ministry concluded.