TBILISI. The reopening of direct flights between Tbilisi and Moscow and the easing of relations between the two countries, pushed by the Georgian executive in contrast to the isolation of Russia wanted by the EU, has reopened the doors to Russian mass tourism. Hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to the Georgian capital, Black Sea resorts and celebrated wineries of the Kakheti region. But many Georgians don’t like it at all. And protests are multiplying across the country. In fact, the Russian army still occupies 20% of Georgia, in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetiaself-proclaimed independent and guarded by two huge Russian bases stuck like daggers into the side of the Caucasian republic.
Sitting at the counter of his launderette overlooking the cobbled streets of central Tbilisi, Gocha learned to say in English only the names of the three types of detergents on sale and the phrase «don’t speak Russian please». A sign reading “Do not speak the language of the occupiers” is attached next to a Ukrainian flag.
However, two-thirds of his customers are Russian and the owner of the laundry, after pointing to the sign several times, ends up telling two patrons in Russian the story of his childhood in Soviet Georgia for the entire duration of a washing and drying cycle.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than one and a half million Russians have entered Georgia, a worrying number for a country of 5 million inhabitants. An often one-way migration, and this is demonstrated by the data collected since the beginning of 2023. The Sololaki district, in the historic center of Tbilisi, characterized by old wooden terraces chiseled with traditional decorations and courtyards where restaurants and trendy bar, it is dotted with Ukrainian, European and NATO flags and the words ‘Ruski go home’ dominate its entrance.
However, the area “is now frequented only by Russians,” says Nini, an activist in an NGO that fights against corruption. «Half of the Russians are real tourists, the other half are people who ran away at the beginning of the war so as not to be sent to the front, and have settled here, it’s convenient for the government because they bring money but here in the city you almost feel just speak Russian”explains the girl.
In a restaurant owned by a Swiss investor, the menu clearly states that Russian customers must understand that “even if they are against the war, they bear the responsibility for it and that if they don’t agree, they are obliged to leave”. And in the meantime a bar planted in the central Daedena Park has developed an app for Russians to sign a digital document apologizing for invading Ukraine. Without the signature, you can’t order a drink.
The government defends the choice: “A ban on the entry of Russian tourists into Georgia, as the radical opposition would like, would inflict damages of around one billion dollars on the country, while our entire economy is worth 30 billion dollars”, argues the chairman of the Georgian Dream party, Irakli Kobakhidze. Russians are therefore not welcome but they are necessary. And it doesn’t seem to bother them anyway. In fact, on social networks tourists share information on where to go and what to avoid, many restaurants still offer the service in Russian and in the most fashionable hotels you hear people speaking practically only with a Muscovite accent. For the opposition, what is underway is only an experiment to test the waters and “when we are used to hearing only Russian, they will make even more concessions to Moscow”, explains Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the opposition, in an editorial. With a warning: «It’s another invasion, without tanks but it’s still an invasion».
