Return of direct flights between Russia and Georgia in a tense climate

A Russian plane of the airline Azimuth taxis after landing at the international airport outside Tbilisi, Georgia, Friday, May 19, 2023. AP - Shakh Aivazov

Text by: Anissa El Jabri Follow

2 min

This is a first in 4 years in this Caucasus country. In any case, this restoration of air links is fuelling divisions between pro-Russia and pro-European Union. Especially since the country is still marked by the blitzkrieg of 2008 and the loss of the territories of Ossetia and Abkhazia.

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From our correspondent in Moscow

In the small crowd of demonstrators at Tbilisi airport who came to protest against the resumption of direct flights between the Georgian and Russian capitals, red and white, blue and yellow, the colors of the Georgian and Ukrainian flags. In total, a few hundred people came Friday, May 19 at midday for the landing of the first direct flight since 2019.

The footage was also filmed by Russia's state news agency Ria Novosti, which was also present at the airport when the Russian travelers arrived. In one of the videos released by the agency, we see this exchange that Ria describes as "provocative" between a Georgian activist and a Russian passenger: "Do you admit that you arrive in a country that is occupied by yours?" asks the activist. "I came on vacation," a pithy Russian passenger replies.

In Russia, the resumption of these flights does not make the headlines, but is still the subject of significant media coverage, including special envoys from different media on the plane.

Example of these images presented on the website of the Komsomolskaya Pravda, with an enchanted Russian passenger: "We have wanted to visit Georgia for a long time. We had first bought tickets with a stopover, then this direct flight appeared and we changed our tickets. Everything was great! We even had champagne on board, everyone is happy.

It was only last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin made the surprise decision to restore direct flights between the two countries. They had been officially banned since 2019, in response to movements in Georgia deemed "hostile to Russia".

The country's president, pro-European Salome Zurabishvili, criticized this "new provocation" from Russia. Conversely, the Prime Minister, perceived as pro-Russian, welcomed the resumption of flights, specifying that only Russian companies and aircraft exempt from Western sanctions would be allowed to operate in Georgia. Irakli Garibashvili also said that "it is only a question of economic and trade relations".

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• Russia
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