Often nowadays, Tbilisi International airport is full of policemen – that’s because flights from Russia have now restarted. It seems that Moscow is in a hurry to get into Georgia. Again.
For me, a millennial, born in the Soviet Union but raised in independent Georgia, the memories of Russia start with my fourth birthday, on April 9, 1989. I spent the day in a room with pale floral wallpaper and two landscape pictures on the walls. The modest furniture was made in the GDR. My toys were models of Soviet cosmonauts.
That same morning, out on Rustaveli Avenue, five minutes from my home, the Soviet army massacred peaceful protesters in the streets. My 16-year-old neighbour and her classmate were killed, and my dad went missing after inhaling teargas. I remember realising that something terrible had happened.
The later memories relate to the war of the 1990s, when Russia invaded the Georgian territory of Abkhazia. I collected homemade cherry and strawberry jam for the refugee children who arrived at my school. They were lucky – they survived, at least physically. Many didn’t make it.
On May 15, 2023, on orders from Vladimir Putin, the visa regime was lifted for Georgian citizens travelling to Russia and flights between Moscow and Tbilisi were restored. Since May 19, the sanctioned Russian company Azimuth Airlines has been selling plane tickets. Georgia’s pro-Russian authorities welcomed the return of flights, calling it an “opportunity” for Georgians who live in Russia. But most people here do not like it, and find the nostalgic talk of the good old days when flights to Moscow were cheap little more than insulting. As for the thousands of Georgian people whose lives were destroyed by decisions taken in the Kremlin, it’s very clear what they think.
Georgia is not a member of the EU – it is a candidate. But instead of completing the 12 recommendations that the EU has set for Georgia in order for us to maintain our candidacy, the authorities keep sabotaging the process with destructive decisions, like the resumption of flights.
Natia Kapanadze, a lawyer specialising in civil rights, sees it as a backward step on the path to European integration. “According to our constitution, Article 78, the main aspiration for the Republic of Georgia is to join the EU and Nato. Our country’s constitutional bodies should take the necessary measures to ensure full integration into the EU and Nato.”
“Twenty per cent of Georgia is under Russian occupation,” she says, “and at the same time it is targeted by Russian propaganda. Georgian authorities haven’t taken any steps to protect its citizens from Russian aggression.”
Ah yes – Russian propaganda. It’s something we are all very familiar with here. While many countries discuss restrictions on Russian propaganda, the Georgian authorities seem much less concerned. It’s a clear sign of our government’s support of Moscow – and its obedience.
But the Georgian people are much less accepting. Ana Tsiklauri, a media researcher I know, said: “I will never go to Moscow. I have never thought about it and would never do it.”
The reality is there are no economic or any other benefits from these flights. They are political – and a political mistake at that. The Georgian government is trying to buy itself Russian favour, and paying for it with the dignity of the Georgian people. The flights from Russia are now landing at Tbilisi International airport. The political temperature in Georgia is high, and rising.
