Five Ukrainians deported from Russia go on hunger strike at Russian-Georgian border
Ukrainians on hunger strike at Verkhny Lars
According to Echo of the Caucasus, five Ukrainian citizens deported from Russia and held in a basement near the Dariali checkpoint on the Russian-Georgian border have declared an open-ended hunger strike.
Russia has been transferring Ukrainian nationals to the Georgian border after sentencing them in occupied territories of Ukraine. In most cases, the individuals were serving their sentences in Russian penal colonies, where they had been moved from occupied territories against their will.
According to Georgian authorities, most of the Ukrainian nationals currently at the border were convicted of serious crimes and lack the necessary documents to cross into Georgia.
One of the hunger strikers, Serhii Larko, told Echo of the Caucasus that the group intends to submit a formal notice to Georgian border guards announcing the start of their protest.
“I, Serhii Oleksiyovych Larko, declare an open-ended hunger strike in protest against the unlawful actions of Georgian border guards and the violation of my rights,” Larko said in a personal statement.
According to one of the Ukrainian nationals, he was deported from Russia on 21 June 2025. Upon arrival in Georgia, he said his passport was confiscated and biometric data was collected without his consent.
“I was placed in inhumane conditions in the basement of the Dariali checkpoint, where 97 people are being held, some of whom are living with HIV or suffering from tuberculosis. I was denied entry to Georgia, refused asylum, legal assistance, and the right to challenge my detention,” Larko said.
The hunger strikers are demanding a meeting with a Ukrainian consul, an explanation for their detention, the right to leave Georgia, and access to medical examinations.
Ukrainians on hunger strike at Verkhny Lars
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