US ambassador stresses need for Georgia to “balance security concerns” with supporting Russian nationals “fleeing repression, war”

US ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan on Friday said the task for the country’s authorities to address security concerns was “first and foremost”, while they should also support Russian nationals “fleeing repression and war” by crossing the state borders into neighbouring countries.

Degnan commented on the influx of Russian citizens into Georgia following the recently announced partial mobilisation by the Kremlin to recruit at least 300,000 individuals for its war in Ukraine.

In her comments over the matter, Degnan noted it was up to the Georgian government to set the policy for this issue.

This is a very complicated issue. And it really is up to the government of Georgia to set the policy for this. You see that different countries are taking different measures based on their circumstances. It's going to be up to the Georgian government to decide on the best way to address this. Trying to balance the concerns of security, of course, is first and foremost, as well as trying to support those who are fleeing repression and war in Russia”, she told the local media.

The Georgian interior ministry on Friday said the flow of Russian nationals across Georgian borders had “significantly decreased” over the past two days.

The state body said 6,109 Russian citizens had crossed into Georgia between 10 a.m. on Thursday and 10:00 a.m. on Friday, while 5,186 left the country in the reported period. It also added 9,642 Russian nationals had entered the Georgian territory between 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday and 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, while 5,448 had departed the territory.