A citizen of Tajikistan is stuck in the neutral zone between the Russian checkpoint “Verkhny Lars” and the Georgian checkpoint “Dariali”. According to Radio Tavisupleba, 45-year-old Alan Gatsoyev, an ethnic Ossetian and citizen of Tajikistan, left Russia for Georgia by car, but he was not allowed to enter Georgia. He also could not return, as […]
A citizen of Tajikistan is stuck in the neutral zone between the Russian checkpoint “Verkhny Lars” and the Georgian checkpoint “Dariali”.
According to Radio Tavisupleba, 45-year-old Alan Gatsoyev, an ethnic Ossetian and citizen of Tajikistan, left Russia for Georgia by car, but he was not allowed to enter Georgia.
He also could not return, as it turned out that he is banned from entering Russia due to violations of migration legislation.
For five months now, Gatsoyev has been living in his Audi car in the neutral zone between Georgia and Russia. He sleeps in the back seat of his car and cooks food on a gas stove next to the front passenger seat. Drivers of passing cars bring him food.
“I have been living in these conditions for five months now. It was bearable in the summer, but now the cold is starting, and I don’t know what to do next,” he says.
Gatsoyev is the father of six children, suffers from diabetes, and had a stent placed in his heart after undergoing surgery following a heart attack. His parents are buried in North Ossetia. His family and relatives live in Vladikavkaz.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia, the citizen of Tajikistan has repeatedly been held administratively liable for violating migration legislation requirements. Since 2021, decisions have been made regarding his entry ban to the Russian Federation. The Ministry claims that he did not attempt to regularize his status and continued to work illegally in the country.
In 2025, Alan Gatsoyev tried to appeal the ban in court, but the court denied the claim, deeming the ban “legal and justified.” The agency notes that the ban is temporary and does not exclude the possibility of family reunification in the future. The man himself says that in 2024, his entry was closed for five years.
The reaction of the Tajik authorities to this incident is unknown.
Experts believe that the absence of a Tajik embassy in Georgia, with only a consulate in Batumi, further complicates Alan Gatsoyev’s situation.