The key facts

  • In the third quarter of 2026, 109 Russians were expelled from Georgia, compared with 73 in all of 2025
  • In total, 1,134 foreigners were deported during the quarter, led by Turkish citizens (306)
  • Over the nine months of 2026, there were 3,170 deportations — almost 2.5 times more than in all of last year

Deportations of Russians increased 1.5-fold in a single quarter

From July to September 2026, the Georgian authorities deported 109 Russian citizens. That is 1.5 times more than in all of 2025, when 73 Russian citizens left the country. TASS cites the data from the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs; the statistics were also reported by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru.

The overall picture for the quarter and nine months

In total, 1,134 foreigners were expelled from Georgia in the third quarter of 2026. Turkish citizens led in the number of deportations during this period — 306 people, with Russians in second place. Over the nine months of 2026, the total number of those expelled reached 3,170 — almost 2.5 times more than in all of 2025 (1,311 people). From January to September, Turkish citizens were most often expelled (791), followed by India (306), Turkmenistan (274) and Russia (254): thus, over the year Russians rank fourth, although for the quarter they are in second place. The same statistics are cited by News-Georgia.

What lies behind the rising numbers

Georgia began tightening its migration policy in 2025: parliament simplified forced expulsion procedures and expanded the powers of law enforcement agencies during inspections. Since spring 2026, foreigners working for hire or engaged in entrepreneurship have been required to obtain a special permit; the rules for foreign students have also become stricter. In August, criminal and patrol police were brought in for enforcement — officers can check documents on the streets and conduct raids at establishments, and detainees are taken to temporary detention centers for subsequent expulsion. According to Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, more than 20,000 people have been checked since the amendments came into force.

The raids continue

Large-scale migration raids also took place in October 2026: according to Life.ru, at that time 64 foreigners were detained, including citizens of Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, China, India and Pakistan. The checks covered several regions of the country, and expulsion procedures have been initiated against the detainees. Earlier, in July, the Georgian authorities expelled 102 foreigners — citizens of Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, India, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and a number of other countries.