Fear of Russian mobilization and fear that the Kremlin would close the borders caused thousands of Russians of military age, such as Viacheslav and Alexei, to cross into Georgia through the Verzhni Lars pass. Because none of them wanted to fight in President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, they entered the Caucasus country on foot on Tuesday.As they said to Efe.
“I did my military service and I can mobilize to fight against Ukraine, but I don’t want that. What or for whom should I do this?‘ said Viacheslav, 33, after crossing the border crossing between North Ossetia and Georgia.
The man, a native of the Russian resort town of Sochi on the Black Sea, admits that he left his wife and son at home.
“I’ll try to get them to Georgia as soon as possible, but first I need to get down to business and rent an apartment”Explain.
According to Georgian Interior Minister Vajtang Gomelauri, currently 10,000 Russians are entering the Caucasian country per day; this is 40 to 45% more than before September 21, when Putin announced partial mobilization.
Viacheslav is a computer scientist and can work remotely, so he hopes to be able to resume work as soon as possible.
He says his company has promised to keep his business.
The long road to Georgia
Despite the proximity of Sochi to the Caucasian country, the road to Georgia was long.
Viacheslav took three days, but usually the trip is three times shorter.
First, the Russian computer scientist rented a car to go to Vladikavkaz, the capital of Russia’s North Ossetia region, on the border with Georgia.
From there he went to the Verzhni Lars border crossing, 40 kilometers from Vladikavkaz.
Half of this road should have been done on footbecause there was “a large queue of vehicles” waiting to cross the border.
According to official statistics, the number of cars in Verjni Lars this Tuesday has exceeded 5,500.
Viacheslav says hundreds of people are choosing to walk to the border these days, most of whom are men of military age.
“For about 15,000-25,000 rubles ($250-430) you can buy a bike or scooter and get out of traffic jams, but I decided to save money,” he says.
The Russians took a taxi from Verjni Lars for 15,000 rubles ($250) directly to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, thus overcoming another 150 kilometers.
“It’s a miracle because prices don’t stop rising”to recognise.
According to Efe, a similar journey was supposed to be made, this time by Russian Alexei from Moscow.
More than $1000 for an apartment
Originally from Omsk, Siberia, he is 30 years old and works for a mobile phone company.
“I don’t have a family and I’m old enough to fight but I don’t want to kill or be killed”Explains the reason for the flight.
The young man and his two colleagues rented an apartment in Tbilisi online.
“It cost us $1,100 for a monthalthough the owner of the apartment has already admitted this At the arrival of the Russians, the price was 400 dollars.“, Says.
Alexei assures him that money is not a problem for him and is happy that he was able to enter Georgia.
“I have crossed the border and I can relax. I know they want to open a mobilization point at the border soon, but I was able to cross it in time,” another Russian Denis repeats and is visibly relieved.
The 33-year-old man came to the Caucasian country from the Belgorod region of Russia, on the border with Ukraine.
Like many other compatriots, he has left his family behind, but hopes to reunite with them in the near future.
“I have a wife and three children,” he says.
In a traffic jam to cross the border, Denis met Maxim, Eugenio, Tijomir and Kiril, all of whom were between 19 and 42 years old. Now they are on their way to Tbilisi together.
“None of us want to go to war”they say
controversy in Georgia
The massive arrival of the Russians sparked controversy in Georgia, not forgetting the 2008 war with Moscow that resulted in Tbilisi losing control over separatist Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“Today the Russians say they love us, they were fighting us just yesterday”says historian Tamta Shonvadze.
Shonvadze wants Georgia to approve a visa regime for Russians or “extensive filtering” at the border.
“Thousands of Russians are entering our country unchecked, and there may be secret service agents among them,” says opposition lawmaker Gueorgui Kirtadze.
Meanwhile, finance minister Lasha Jutsishvili asks not to “dramatize” the situation.
“Everything is under control, we work 24 hours a day and we do a strict inspection,” he said.
Paatá Zakareyshvili, former Minister of Conflict Resolution, told Efe, “For Russian citizens who don’t want to close the border would be immoral. war with ukraine“.
Source: Informacion
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.