Russian tourists are met with furious protesters in Tbilisi as flights to and from Georgia resume

Russian tourists were greeted with a particularly cold reception when their plane landed in Tbilisi earlier today.

A horde of angry protesters surrounded the Georgian capital’s airport at 13:20 local time (09:20 BST) to meet Azimuth Airlines flight A4851 – the first tourist jet from Moscow in four years.

The government of Georgia welcomes the return of direct flights from Russia, which were unilaterally suspended by Putin following anti-Kremlin protests in Georgia in 2019, but were suddenly reinstated on May 15.

The civil aviation authority recently green-lit daily flights to and from Moscow despite widespread outrage, with the Georgian government claiming that ethnic Georgians living across the border are merely benefiting.

Many of the demonstrators held placards reading “Russian airship – go fuck yourself!” was enamelled.

Others held loudspeakers that repeatedly chanted the same slogan – a tribute to the now-legendary Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island who resisted the demands of Putin’s warship with a defiant soundbite on the second day of the war.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted a no-fly zone with Georgia, against which Russia waged a brief war in 2008

Two girls hold signs, one of which says “Russian airship, go fuck yourself” in tribute to the Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island

A sea of ​​protesters arrived at Tbilisi airport today to demonstrate against the resumption of Russian flights to and from Georgia

A photo taken on May 19, 2023 shows police officers detaining a protester during a protest against the resumption of air links with Russia outside Tbilisi airport as the first direct flight from Moscow arrives in Tbilisi

A passenger plane of the Russian airline Azimuth, which arrived from Moscow after the decision of the Georgian authorities to issue a license to operate direct flights between Russia and Georgia, is seen through a barbed wire fence at an airport in Tbilisi , Georgia, May 19, 2023

Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, claims that the return of regular tourist flights to and from Russia will significantly reduce costs for those who want to travel for work, vacation or to see their families living abroad.

Kobakhidze claims he takes a “cautious and pragmatic” approach to Russia, but has been widely criticized for refusing to condemn Russian atrocities in Ukraine. Georgians claim the ruling party is committing ‘direct sabotage’ of their country’s bid to join the EU.

Opposition politicians also fear the renewed flights could bring in Russian officials and businessmen a way to circumvent Western sanctions, defiantly declaring that the people of Georgia “choose Europe, not Russia”.

While protests at the airport remained largely peaceful, the atmosphere was particularly hostile and six people were detained by security.

A demonstration against the resumption of flights also took place on the main First Republic Square in Tbilisi.

The phrase boomed from the loudspeakers: “Russian airship – go fuck yourself!”

Georgian journalists, meanwhile, pounced on the Russian tourists who were leaving the plane.

In the arrivals hall of the airport, a journalist asked a female passenger, “Do you know that Russia is an occupier?”

“I won’t go into it,” she replied, but the journalist persisted.

“I’ve come for a vacation,” the woman said sheepishly.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, claims that the return of regular tourist flights to and from Russia will significantly reduce costs for those who want to travel for work, but opposition politicians are highly suspicious

Hundreds of thousands of Russians, many of them military-aged men, have fled their homes and crossed into Georgia during Putin’s war in Ukraine

Protesters hold Ukrainian flags and banners reading ‘Russia is a terrorist state’

The Russian occupation war in Ukraine is not a strange concept for Georgians.

The ingredients of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine were already evident in 2008, then Russia effectively provoked the Georgian army into a skirmish with separatist forces in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

This gave Moscow an incentive to respond quickly with military force, eliminate the Georgian troops and declare both areas as independent states.

Georgia and most of the international community still consider Abkhazia and South Ossetia – about 20 percent of Georgia’s landmass – to be part of Georgia and under Russian military occupation.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Russians, many of them men of military age, have fled their homes and crossed to Georgia during Putin’s war in Ukraine to avoid being conscripted into the Russian armed forces.