One of the leaders of the opposition coalition “Strong Georgia – Lelo,” Grigol Gegelia, has accused the Georgian authorities of inaction in the face of a looming influx of Russians. According to him, the ruling party serves the interests of Moscow rather than the Georgian people.
“From numerous sources, including Russian open-source data, we know that tens of thousands of Russians have rushed to the Lars border checkpoint and are seeking refuge in Georgia—partly against the backdrop of a potential mobilization, as reported by Politico, one of the world’s leading publications. Without doubt, this poses a whole range of threats to our state.
Back in 2021, ‘Lelo – Strong Georgia’ directly called on the authorities in the ‘Georgia Protection Act’ to take concrete steps in this direction. This entailed controlling migration flows and overhauling the visa policy, as Georgia currently operates an entirely inadequate visa regime. We demanded the introduction of mechanisms compatible with Georgia’s national security, our demographic priorities, and the interests of genuine peace both within the country and across the region as a whole.
However, this vassal regime—constantly catering to the Russian Federation, for which it is openly praised and quoted by [Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria] Zakharova and other propaganda mouthpieces—has done nothing to implement the necessary measures. This regime has never served the Georgian people; it has defended Russia’s interests alone,” Gegelia stated.
