Heavy traffic buildup reported at Georgia’s Verkhnii Lars border crossing

A line of vehicles multiple kilometers long formed on the Georgian side of the Verkhnii Lars border crossing between Russia and Georgia early on the morning of March 9, according to media and eyewitness reports on Telegram, as well as Yandex Maps.

Initial media reports suggested the heavy traffic was a consequence of the mass protests in Georgia against parliament’s proposed legislation on “foreign agents.” According to local residents and people at the scene, however, long lines regularly build up at the border crossing due to the checkpoint’s irregular hours of operation. The TV network RTV1 reported that the Verkhnii Lars crossing was closed from March 5–7 due to weather conditions.