The Federal Customs Service of Russia reported that on the evening of August 18, more than 20,000 people crossed the border with Georgia through the Upper Lars checkpoint in a single day. The agency noted that this dynamic has persisted for several days: on August 15 and 16, more than 19,000 people passed through the checkpoint daily, which "significantly exceeds data from similar periods in previous years."
According to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti, a large traffic jam has formed on the Russian side of the border. Witnesses said cars advance roughly 100 meters in two hours.
Upper Lars is the only land border crossing between Russia and Georgia. In late September 2022, it became the busiest in the country when thousands of Russians left the Russian Federation after the announcement of "partial mobilization." At that time, people waited in lines at the checkpoint for several days.
Possible new waves of mobilization have recently been discussed at various levels. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is preparing a "fairly large-scale" mobilization in the fall, and claimed that Putin intends to send between 300,000 and 500,000 people to the front. The outlet Verstka reported that officials are unofficially discussing mobilization that could begin after the State Duma elections in the second half of September. Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also wrote about preparations for it, and European officials, in conversations with The Washington Post, did not rule out such a step by the Kremlin if high losses at the front continue.
Amid these rumors, Russians have also sharply increased demand for apartment rentals in Yerevan, Verstka reported. According to local realtors, the situation is comparable to 2022: rental prices have risen by 30%, and people are looking for options to rent jointly with strangers.