Georgian border guards did not allow Luhansk resident Sergei Nasonov and his daughter to return to Russia from Turkey. They claimed that their Russian passports were not recognised due to their registration in the LPR.
“I asked him why he needed an internal passport, these documents are enough to cross the border. He immediately switched to a raised voice: “Do I need to explain my requirements to you?” Feeling the heat, I handed him my internal passport.” – Nasonov said on Channel Five.
According to Nasonov, the supervisor on duty then said that Georgia “does not recognise Lugansk as Russian” and therefore considers his documents invalid.
The Russian diaspora in Turkey came to the aid of Nasonov and his daughter. They tried to send the car to Russia by ferry, but they themselves had to return by plane. However, the ferry’s departure was repeatedly postponed and for more than 20 days Nasonov and his daughter were forced to wait for their car to sail to Russia. They are still in Turkey and cannot leave the country.
The Russian embassy said that this is not the first time that such a situation has occurred; cases of selective denial of entry to Russian citizens at the border with Georgia have been observed since 2022.
“We have repeatedly stressed during contacts with partners at different levels that political differences should not affect ordinary citizens, especially in the form of discriminatory practices,” – the consulate representatives stressed.
