Sleeping in Cars and Swimming in Lakes: 81 People Have Been Living in Bagratashen for a Week

Since July 30, a group of 81 citizens, including Russians and others, have relocated to the Bagratashen checkpoint in Armenia to draw attention from the government and the Russian Federation’s embassy in Armenia to their plight. In a conversation with NEWS.am, Arthur Ayanazyan, one of those at the checkpoint, shared that they felt compelled to take this step.

Previously, they had staged protests in front of the Russian embassy in Armenia to raise awareness about their situation and to facilitate their transportation back to Russia, but they received no response. They delivered a letter to the embassy stating that if they did not receive a reply by July 30, they would move to the Bagratashen checkpoint.

“Because there’s no difference between living in the streets of Yerevan or here in Bagratashen, we moved here and are now living under the open sky. We knew the borders were closed, but we also knew that in the past, responses were given three times, and people were transported. We thought that coming here would help us too. The last time was on July 14, when the embassy transported 93 people to Vladikavkaz by buses,” he said.

At the checkpoint, a café owner has allowed them to sit on the benches, and there is a faucet outside where they are able to wash in the mornings. There is also a lake nearby where people go to cool off and wash their clothes. “In this heat, we are living like this, and we are already starting to face food problems,” he explained.

Those at Bagratashen have recently reached out again to the Russian embassy in Armenia, but their phone calls and emails have gone unanswered. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promised assistance, but there has been no response as of yet.