Revenue service rejects TV report on “sharp increase” in individuals crossing state border from Russia
Screenshot from video aired by several media outlets showing traffic through the Kazbegi customs checkpoint with comments on a “kilometre-long queue” of vehicles coming from Russia to Georgia. Photo: Georgiatoday.ge
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Georgia’s revenue service on Thursday rejected TV reports that alleged a drastic increase in the number of individuals crossing the country’s northern border from Russia over the past days by saying there was “no sharp difference” observed in the figures over the past 10 days.
The state body said the Kazbegi customs checkpoint on the state border was working "smoothly and with full capacity" in processing border crossings.
The statement followed reports by several local media outlets that aired footage of traffic through the checkpoint with comments on a “kilometre-long queue” of vehicles.
Authors of the reports connected the allegedly increased border crossings with a supposed increase in the number of Russian citizens attempting to leave the country following the partial military mobilisation announced by president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in connection with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In its comments rejecting the claims, the revenue service urged domestic media outlets to "refrain from releasing false and unverified information".
About 20,000 Russian citizens have entered Georgia since February 24, compared to 40,000 in the same period in 2019, Vakhtang Gomelauri, the Interior Minister of Georgia, said on Wednesday in response to rumours about “unprecedented level” influx of Russian citizens into Georgia over the recent days on the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The number of Russian citizens entering the territory of Georgia over the recent days is in the pre-pandemic range, Georgia’s Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said on Monday.
Medea Janiashvili, the Acting Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on Thursday responded to a study by Transparency International Georgia, which had noted “significant acceleration” in the rate of visitors to Georgia from Russia in 2022, by saying the number of Russian citizens among visitors had dropped by 52 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
Over 12,000 Russian citizens have signed an online petition calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to cancel his recent ban on flights between Russia and Georgia. "Allow flights between Georgia and Russia, as Russian citizens in Georgia are in safety. As for the protest rallies – this is the right of the Georgian citizens”, the text of the petition reads.
Lasha Khutsishvili, the minister of finance of Georgia, on Monday said the number of individuals entering and leaving the country had both increased recently, stressing the “situation is under full control” at border checkpoints.