--- title: "Record flow at the Georgian border: thousands of Russians leave amid rumors of a new mobilization" description: "Over the week, more than 113,000 Russians crossed the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint into Georgia — one of the largest flows since the war began. Moscow denies preparations for a mass mobilization, while Kyiv and Ukrainian intelligence warn of a new wave of conscription." date: 2026-08-28T13:22:04.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/record-flow-of-russians-at-georgian-border-en tags: [russia-georgia-border, mobilization, verkhniy-lars, russia-ukraine-war, migration] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Record flow at the Georgian border: thousands of Russians leave amid rumors of a new mobilization ![Young Russians at the Georgian border amid rumors of a new mobilization](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/28/rekordny-potok-rossiyan-na-granitse-s-gruziey/rekordny-potok-rossiyan-na-granitse-s-gruziey-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - More than 113,000 Russians crossed the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint in the past week — one of the largest flows since the war began. - Russia's UN ambassador Nebenzia and Kremlin spokesman Peskov deny preparations for a mass mobilization. - The Ukrainian side and intelligence warn of a new wave of mobilization, including, according to them, the recruitment of prisoners. - The flow is comparable to the autumn 2022 peak, when more than 100,000 Russians left for Georgia in a single week. One of the largest flows of people and vehicles in the entire history of the conflict has been recorded at the Russian-Georgian border. According to data cited by Politico and confirmed by Georgian and Russian media, more than 113,000 Russian citizens crossed the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint in just the past week. This surge coincided in time with loud discussions of a possible new draft, which, according to observers, became the main motive for the mass exodus. ### Record flow at Verkhniy Lars Georgia remains one of the few neighboring countries where Russian citizens can enter without a visa, which turns this route into the main "corridor" for those who want to leave the country. Against the backdrop of a sharp rise in passenger traffic, movement through Verkhniy Lars for all vehicles has already been suspended, and multi-kilometer traffic jams have again formed on the approach to the checkpoint. The situation at the border in recent days has been monitored by both Russian and Georgian media, which have recorded queues of passenger and freight vehicles. ### Moscow's position: no mass mobilization is planned In the Kremlin and in the Russian diplomatic corps, the very basis of the rumors is publicly refuted. Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, told journalists that "for now, we do not need a mass mobilization; as far as I know, it is not planned and not expected." Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, claims that any talk of mobilization is "planted by the Ukrainian authorities," that is, represents an element of information pressure. ### Kyiv warns of a new wave In contrast, the Ukrainian side insists on the opposite. On August 25, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, called on Russians to leave the country, warning of a new wave of forced mobilization after the so-called elections to the State Duma. According to him, Vladimir Putin, in his assessment, plans to mobilize up to 500,000 people and send them to the war in Ukraine. Even harsher statements were made on August 27: according to Ukrainian intelligence, the head of the Kremlin has allegedly approved the mobilization and the "contracting" of female prisoners from prisons and camps under eleven articles of the Criminal Code. The Kremlin, according to the same information, expects to recruit 300,000 people into the army this year and the same number in 2027. ### Contradictory data Here the versions of the two sides directly diverge. On the one hand, official Russian statements (Nebenzia, Peskov) categorically deny the preparation of a mass mobilization and accuse Kyiv of "planting" the topic. On the other hand, Ukrainian diplomatic and intelligence sources claim that the mobilization has been approved, including the recruitment of prisoners, and cite specific figures — up to 500,000 people. Independent verification of these intelligence assessments is currently impossible, and the actual scale of possible conscription measures has not been documented by either side. That is why the mass departure of Russians at the border can for now be interpreted as a reaction to rumors and the information backdrop, rather than as proof of an already launched process. ### Context: analogy with autumn 2022 A similar picture was already observed in Georgia in autumn 2022: after the announcement of a partial mobilization and the conscription of 300,000 people, the country received more than 100,000 Russians in just one week. The current figure of 113,000 per week at Verkhniy Lars is comparable to that historical peak, which reinforces the alarming signals. Thus, even in the absence of official confirmation of mobilization by Moscow, the very fact of record passenger traffic at the border indicates that a significant part of the population perceives the rumors of a new draft as a real risk. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Russians begin mass exodus from the country amid quiet mobilization, - Politico](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rosiyani-pochali-masovo-tikati-krayini-tli-1787923120.html) - Подтверждает массовый отъезд россиян и ссылается на данные Politico о потоке на границе. - [Movement through Verkhniy Lars at the Georgian border suspended for all vehicles](https://www.m24.ru/news/10042026/890382) - Подтверждает перегрузку КПП и временные ограничения движения на «Верхнем Ларсе». - [Jam again at Verkhniy Lars checkpoint: Russians rush to Georgia](https://www.svoboda.org/a/29914300.html) - Фиксирует заторы и спешный отъезд россиян в Грузию через «Верхний Ларс». - [Situation at the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint](https://auto.mail.ru/article/126239-obstanovka-na-kpp-verhnij-lars/) - Оперативная информация об обстановке и очередях на пункте пропуска. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How many Russians left through Verkhniy Lars in a week? **A:** According to data cited by Politico and confirmed by Georgian and Russian media, more than 113,000 Russian citizens crossed the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint in the past week. ### Q: Does the Kremlin confirm preparations for a new mobilization? **A:** No. Russia's UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzia stated that a mass mobilization is not planned, while government spokesman Dmitry Peskov called talk of it "planted" by the Ukrainian authorities. ### Q: What does the Ukrainian side claim? **A:** Ukrainian UN representative Andriy Melnyk warned of a new wave of mobilization after the sham elections to the State Duma, while Ukrainian intelligence on August 27 announced that the mobilization and the recruitment of prisoners had been approved; according to its estimates, the figure is in the hundreds of thousands.