On the night of March 9, a multi-kilometer traffic jam formed in the direction of Russia in Georgia near the Verkhniy Lars border checkpoint.
The queues at the border arose against the backdrop of revolutionary protests in Georgia, which escalated into clashes with the security forces.
Pro-Kremlin telegram channels Shot and Mash, in particular, drew attention to traffic jams. The presence of traffic jams is also evidenced by the data of the Yandex.Maps service and the messages of eyewitnesses in Telegram.
At first, the media reported that the traffic jam was the result of ongoing mass protests in Georgia against the bill on “foreign agents”.
Probably, against the backdrop of unrest in Tbilisi, the Russians decided to return to the country, Shot wrote.
However, local residents and eyewitnesses said that traffic jams on Upper Lars occur regularly due to the unstable operation of the checkpoint.
The RTVI TV channel notes that the checkpoint has been closed since March 5 due to bad weather conditions and a high risk of avalanches. The border was opened again on March 7, and many Russians gathered there, returning from a holiday in a ski resort in Gudaur.
At the end of September 2022, Upper Lars became the busiest border crossing in Russia, with thousands of Russians leaving the country due to the announced “share mobilization”. Many kilometers of traffic jams formed at the checkpoint, where people stood for several days.
On March 7-8, mass protests were held in Tbilisi against the adoption of the bill on “foreign agents” by the Parliament. The demonstrators tried to infiltrate the parliament to interfere with the work of the deputies. The police violently dispersed the protesters with water cannons and tear gas. On the morning of March 9, the ruling coalition announced that it was withdrawing the controversial bill due to “differences in society.”
Source: Racurs
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