Interior Ministry Rejects Reports of 20,000 Russians Crossing From Russia in One Day
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Georgia's Interior Ministry said on August 19 that 7,880 people entered Georgia from Russia through the Larsi border checkpoint in the previous 24 hours, rejecting reports that 20,000 Russian citizens had crossed the border in a single day.
The ministry said those who entered were "citizens of various countries" and did not provide a nationality breakdown. It said 8,406 people left Georgia through the same checkpoint during the period.
The statement followed a report by Russia's North Caucasus Customs Administration that more than 20,000 passengers had crossed the Larsi checkpoint in one day, along with what it called "a record number" of passenger cars.
The Russian agency did not specify whether its figure covered people traveling from Russia to Georgia, from Georgia to Russia, or both. It also did not say how many of those crossing were Russian citizens.
The agency said more than 19,000 people crossed the checkpoint on Aug. 15 and 16, describing the numbers as figures that "significantly exceed" those recorded during comparable periods in previous years. It said additional staff had been deployed and shifts reinforced to increase capacity and speed up vehicle processing.
The reports fueled concern in Georgia over a possible surge in arrivals from Russia.
Georgia's Interior Ministry called the reports false, saying they "serve the deliberate dissemination of disinformation by certain interested parties."
"We call on all interested parties to refrain from disseminating unverified information, as well as from misinterpreting and disseminating various data in an inaccurate or distorted form," the ministry said.
The ministry's figures do not provide a breakdown by nationality, so they do not establish how many Russian citizens entered Georgia through Larsi during the period.
