Georgian Interior Ministry rejects “fake” media reports over entry of Russian army member

The Georgian Interior Ministry on Friday rejected “fake” media reports by several domestic TV channels over the alleged presence of Anna Lakoba, a member of the Russian Armed Forces fighting against Ukraine, in the country. 

The body said while Ganna ILYasova, a citizen of Ukraine known to the public as Anna Lakoba, had entered and left the Georgian territory in 2018, “no violation” of Georgia’s Law on the Occupied Territories had been observed during the entry.

It added Lakoba had not arrived in the country since the visit five years ago.

The comments came after Georgian TV channels on Thursday claimed Lakoba was in Tbilisi and posting photos on her TikTok account from the country’s capital city, and claimed domestic law enforcement agencies had made “no reaction” to the issue despite her previous violation of the country’s Law on the Occupied Territories. 

The law bans entry to Georgia of individuals who have visited the country’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions without the consent of the central Georgian Government.