Without food, medical care, or air: Dozens of Ukrainians are being held in a basement on the Russian border with Georgia
At least 45 citizens of Ukraine have been in the basement at the “Upper Lars” border crossing point between Russia and Georgia for several days. About this reported Astra edition. It is noted that most of the detainees are former prisoners taken from the temporarily occupied territories, but there are also civilians among them.
According to eyewitnesses, people are kept in a basement without access to adequate food, medical care and basic sanitary conditions. It is known that among those detained are persons with HIV, tuberculosis and severe forms of disability. In recent days, at least one person has been hospitalized due to worsening conditions.
One of the men, who are currently in the basement, told reporters that there were eight people in his group, including the disabled and seriously ill. According to him, the basement is damp, water is dripping from the ceiling, there is no shower or toilet, they are not allowed to go outside, and the air is saturated with tobacco smoke. They are not given food – they survive thanks to humanitarian aid, which volunteers bring only from time to time, and this is not enough for everyone. Due to the lack of space, people are forced to sleep four hours at a time, sometimes just on the floor.
It is known that the premises where Ukrainians are currently being held has been used as a place of detention for deportees since 2023. We are talking about those whom the Russian authorities have officially banned from entering the Russian Federation, but who cannot leave its territory due to lack of documents – they are not allowed to enter Georgia.
As Astra reports, since 2024, Russia has actually stopped releasing Ukrainians who have been sentenced to deportation. This created a situation of a legal trap, in which dozens of Ukrainian citizens found themselves – without the ability to return home, without official status, without security guarantees.
