Georgia–Russia border
A mountain border along the main crest of the Greater Caucasus, from the Black Sea to Azerbaijan. Its western and central stretches run along Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Georgia does not control, so in practice there is just one crossing between the two countries: Upper Lars.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 28 September 2026Suggest a correction
See it on the globe:Georgia →Russia →
Along the Caucasus
Georgia lies at the eastern end of the Black Sea on the southern flanks of the main crest of the Greater Caucasus, with Russia to the north and northeast.[1] The range runs for about 1,200 km from the Black Sea to the Caspian.[2]
After long periods of Turkish and Persian rule, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire in the 19th century. It was independent from 1918 to 1921, then part of the Soviet Union, and a union republic from 1936. It declared independence on 9 April 1991, when the line between the Georgian and Russian Soviet republics became an international border.[1]
Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Georgia includes the regions of Abkhazia, in the northwest, and South Ossetia, in the north.[1] Both lie along the border with Russia, as the map shows. After the August 2008 conflict, Georgia and Russia signed the EU-brokered Six-Point Agreement of 12 August 2008, and an EU monitoring mission began its work on 1 October, starting with the withdrawal of Russian forces from areas next to the two regions.[5]
The EU mission’s mandate covers all of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders, but the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia have not let it in. It patrols the lines that separate them from the rest of Georgia instead.[5] So along those stretches, Georgia has no control of its border with Russia.
Upper Lars
The one crossing between Russia and the rest of Georgia is Upper Lars, known in Georgia as Zemo Larsi, on a remote mountain pass between Russia’s North Ossetia and Georgia. With no direct flights between the two countries, it was the only operational crossing in 2022.[4][6]
It became famous in September 2022, when President Putin announced a partial military mobilisation for the war in Ukraine. Tens of thousands of draft-age Russian men headed for Georgia, which lets Russians stay a year without a visa; on 28 September the queue stretched more than 20 km, with a wait of about two days.[4] In August 2026, amid rumours of a new mobilisation, Russia reported record traffic of more than 20,000 people in a day, a figure Georgia disputed.[3]
Timeline
1918–21
Independent Georgia
A Georgian republic exists before incorporation into the Soviet Union.[1]
19919 April 1991
Independence
Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union.[1]
200812 August 2008
Six-Point Agreement
Georgia and Russia sign an EU-brokered ceasefire.[5]
20081 October 2008
EU monitors
The EU mission begins patrolling next to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[5]
2022
Mobilisation exodus
Tens of thousands of Russians cross at Upper Lars.[4]
More borders
Sources
- [1]Georgia · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- [2]Greater Caucasus · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- [3]Moscow says 20,000 people cross Georgia border checkpoint in a single day, setting new record · OC Media (Lana Kokaia) · 2026-08
- [4]Russia restricts entry to North Ossetia as Russians flee mobilization (RFE/RL, reprinted) · RFE/RL, via GlobalSecurity.org · 28 September 2022
- [5]About us · European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM)
- [6]Russian Vehicles Flock To Georgian Border Following Partial Military Mobilization · RFE/RL’s Georgian Service · 22 September 2022
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.