Mitya Aleshkovsky, the ex-director of the Need Help Foundation and the founder of the Takie Dela publication, was not allowed into Georgia. This was announced by the leading TV channel "Rain" Anna Mongait. Aleshkovsky confirmed The Insider information. According to him, the refusal was not substantiated in any way. “They just put me on a plane and sent me back,” he said.
He also noted that he has been living in Georgia for many years, and this is far from his first entry into the country. Aleshkovsky has a wife and daughter in Tbilisi, several organizations have been opened.
On September 3, it was reported that for the second time in a row, photojournalist Vasily Krestyaninov, who works with the Associated Press and The Insider, was not allowed into Georgia. There are also cases when Georgia did not let Russian oppositionists in. In particular, Alexei Navalny's associate Lyubov Sobol, politician Dmitry Gudkov, Pussy Riot member Olga Borisova and others could not enter the country. According to Russian-Georgian political scientist and observer Yegor Kuroptev, these refusals are connected with the country's unwillingness to let high-profile figures into the territory, but otherwise Russian oppositionists, according to him, can find refuge in Georgia.
“After the start of the war, Georgia, in principle, became stricter about the entry of Russians,” says Kuroptev. – These are not only oppositionists, but also citizens of Russia as a whole. The problem is that there are no transparent entry rules. If you have a visa to Europe, then most likely you will come. And in Georgia lately it is not clear what documents can be a guarantee. I would probably say none. Regarding the opposition from Russia: hundreds of people freely entered Georgia before the war, and even more so after. Now Georgia is a safe home for a large number of activists, journalists, and human rights activists. There are almost no cases when oppositionists from Russia were not allowed into Georgia at all and no explanations helped. Their units. Basically, they are connected with the unwillingness to have too resonant figures on the territory of the country. But at the same time, people with varying degrees of threats and persecution in Russia live in Georgia in peace. They travel, they travel. Activists are often stopped at the borders and asked a lot of questions. Either they let you in, or in some cases they refuse, and then additional explanations are required. There were bans on Sobol, Gudkov, and several journalists. Otherwise, Georgia is one of the main centers where activists who left Russia under threat live.”
