Arriving in Tbilisi, Georgia on the heels of massive protests, and the direct affects of tension between Georgia and Russia on my travel plans

I’ve been in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, for about four days now and have been loving it so far. I’ve been out and about each day, usually hitting 20k-30k steps, meeting up with folks, and sampling some amazing Georgian food. 

Today I was supposed to join a hiking day trip to Kazbegi in the north. I had been looking forward to this trip since spring, and rearranged my itinerary so I could make it as the group only goes two times a week. But early this morning I woke up feeling pretty crappy, to the point where I couldn’t go back to sleep for several hours. I ultimately decided to cancel the trip around 5am and turn today into a rest day before I leave for Kutaisi tomorrow. It’s been in the mid-90s every day this week and I think I’m just fatigued, so today I’ve been chilling, watching Netflix, updating my blog, cementing more travel plans, and enjoying the AC in this spectacular hostel.

Fortunately, I’ll be back in Tbilisi in a couple of weeks, though as a result of some unfortunate circumstances that have thrown a small wrench in my plans and forced me to rearrange my itinerary.

Tensions between Georgia and Russia have escalated in the past week, and I don’t think the situation is getting much media coverage at all in the West. (Essentially, no one has reached out about this to me except my friend in Moscow so I’m making an assumption that it hasn’t been newsworthy.)

I won’t spend too much time explaining the entire situation, and will instead direct you all to some news articles, but here’s a brief timeline just based on what I know:

In 2008 there was a war between Georgia and Russia, leading to Russia occupying regions of Georgia including Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This occupation amounts to about 20% of Georgia’s land mass. 

Last Thursday an ambassador from Russia came to speak to Orthodox members of parliament, which ignited protests in the main square in Tbilisi. Thousands of Georgians tried to storm the parliament building. The protests became violent last Thursday night and over two hundred people were injured.

Here are a few photos from a local news organization.

On Friday, Putin announced that Russian airlines, as of July 8th, would no longer be allowed to fly to Georgia. This is a pretty big deal because Russian tourism makes up a large part of the Georgian economy. 1.4 million Russians visited Georgia last year, and it's estimated that 8-9% of tourism revenue comes directly from Russian tourists. Putin also directed the consulate in Georgia to arrange for Russian citizens to be returned to Russia, though it seems many are ignoring that order so they can continue their vacations.

On Saturday, Putin announced that no Georgian airlines would be able to fly direct to Russia.

Russian media has also created some media frenzy around this situation, claiming that Russians are being harassed or even kidnapped in Georgia. When my friend told me this, I was extremely confused, as Georgians are insanely hospitable, including towards Russian tourists, who I mentioned earlier make up a significant part of the tourism industry. There's a saying in Georgia, "guests are a gift from God." Crime is incredibly low here compared to other countries (they ranked fifth out of 125 countries for lowest crime rate in 2018 by Numbeo), so I personally find it hard to believe that Russian tourists are experiencing this purported harassment.

Here are a few more comprehensive articles on the situation.

Putin halts Russian flights to Georgia

Russia puts the squeeze on Georgia as anti-Kremlin protests rock Tbilisi

Russia says Georgia isn't safe. Russians in Georgia say otherwise

Moscow claims Georgia not targeted with sanctions

Protests have continued daily, but not to the extent of what happened last Thursday.

I originally had plans to fly from Tbilisi to Moscow on July 16th but due to the travel ban my flight was canceled. Thankfully I got a full refund.

I ended up rearranging my itinerary to end my time in the Caucuses in Baku, Azerbaijan, and fly from there to Moscow. As a result, I added an extra couple of days in Tbilisi, since I have been enjoying it here so much.

So that’s a very brief explanation of what’s going on over here. I feel completely safe and don’t have any concerns about being in Georgia or Russia. It’s been an education for me to learn more about the geopolitics of this part of the world, and honestly I wish I hadn’t been so ignorant to the history of Russo-Georgian relations prior to arriving here.

Apologies for the lack of pictures, I’ll be posting a photo essay with food soon!

Sophie