“Ukrainians demand to allow them to Ukrainian consul, to clarify the reasons for their detention, to provide an opportunity to leave the territory of Georgia or to apply for international protection, to conduct a medical examination and to stop, as they claim, unlawful detention”, – WRITE: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to him, the participants of the action intend to transfer to the Georgian border guards an official statement about the onset of hunger strike.
Larko also provided a copy of his appeal, which specifies the causes of starvation and the demands of protesters.
“I, Larko Sergey, announce an indefinite starvation in protest against the illegal actions of Georgian border guards and violation of my rights,” the statement said.
Sergey Larka’s statement
According to Larko, on June 21, 2025, he was deported from Russia, and after his arrival in Georgia, he was seized a passport and collected biometric data without legal grounds.
“I was placed in inhumane conditions in the basement of Darialai checkpoint with 97 people, including patients with HIV and tuberculosis. I was denied departure from Georgia, applying for asylum, legal assistance and the ability to challenge the detention, ”the address reads.
Ukrainians demand that the Ukrainian consul be allowed, clarify the reasons for their detention, to provide the opportunity to leave the territory of Georgia or to apply for international protection, to conduct a medical examination and to terminate, as they claim, illegal detention.
According to the participants, the protest will continue to fulfill all the requirements.
Russia sends prisoners to the Russian-Georgian border, who were originally convicted in the territories of Ukraine, which were subsequently occupied by the Russian Federation. In most cases, they served their sentences in Russian colonies, where they were forcibly exported.
Georgia’s authorities state that most of these citizens have been convicted of particularly serious crimes, do not have the necessary documents for the crossing of the border, and their admission to the territory of the country is “threatened”.
Georgia is currently the only route through which Ukrainian expired people can return home from the occupied territories or after deportation to Russia. At the same time, without any documents, Ukrainian experts for weeks or months are stuck at the Russian-Georgian border until they receive confirmation from the Embassy of Ukraine that they are its citizens. After that, they can get a white passport in a diploma in the capital of Georgia and return home.
For the first time, the journalists of the Radio Liberty project spoke about this problem. In the documentary “Back me home”, they showed how Ukrainian deported by the invaders overcome the way home. And in July last year, during the presentation of the tape in Kiev, this issue was discussed with human rights activists, representatives of the prosecutor’s office and the then Minister of Justice Denis Martuska.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs notes that Ukraine has proposed several options for returning citizens – including aviation and sea routes. However, the final decision has not yet been made.
“Joint consultations are underway on the mechanism of safe return of these people to their native land, including their transportation. We hope that the Ukrainian side will make a timely decision to return its citizens to their homeland, ”the Georgia Ministry of Internal Affairs noted.
On July 19, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said that since June, Russia has significantly increased the number of deported Ukrainian citizens, mostly former prisoners who have been sent to the border with Georgia. As a result, dozens of people, many of whom do not have the proper documents, are stuck in the transit zone.
“Russia uses the deportation of Ukrainian citizens through Georgia as a pressure tool. Ukrainian consuls are actively working to provide these persons with documents and ensure their transit to Ukraine through Moldova. We are actively cooperating with the Georgian and Moldovan sides to bring our citizens to Ukraine, ”Sibiga said.
The minister also added that there is no guarantee that Russia will not increase the number of deported. In order to avoid further complications, he urged the Russian Federation to transfer Ukrainian citizens directly to the border with Ukraine: “We are ready to accept them there. There are appropriate areas of the border where you can do it. ”
On the same day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his social network page that Andrei Sibiga reported about the situation at the border between Russia and Georgia. He noted that diplomats are organized by the transit of these citizens of Ukraine.
On August 3, the Ukrainian Center for Combating Misinformation denied the information about Ukraine’s refusal to receive 90 of its citizens from the Georgian border.
In Kiev, they stated that the Ukrainian side is systematically working on the return of citizens, provided there is a confirmed citizenship.