I arrived in the nation of Georgia three days ago for a week-long visit to assess the impact of some 112,000 Russians — overwhelmingly men fleeing here from Putin’s military mobilization — on this country, roughly the size of West Virginia with just under 4 million people. I’ll be meeting with some of these Russian escapees as well as perhaps some Georgian politicians and will report what I find. This is a preliminary dispatch of what I’m seeing thus far.
First some context. Georgians identify with the West. After seven decades under Soviet domination, they’ve made huge strides economically and politically, achieving middle income status and high GDP growth rate. The World Bank gives the country high marks for business climate and defeating corruption. Georgia is well on the road to joining both NATO and the E.U. In response to an earlier push to integrate with the West, in 2008, Putin invaded Georgia, occupying 20 percent of its territory to this day. The regions they occupy — Abkhazia and South Ossetia — are dominated by ethnic groups who have not gotten along with ethnic Georgians.
In response to Putin’s mobilization of men to fight in Ukraine, at least half a million potential conscriptees have fled Russia. Georgia hosts the largest number. For weeks, 10,000 Russians were entering each day. The Georgian government’s open door policy is not popular among Georgians. Besides resentment over resultant jumps in rents and real estate and increased burden on social services, they harbor security concerns over a large Russian community staying here indefinitely.
One encounters many young Russians (and also Ukrainians) on the streets of Tbilisi as well as in other larger cities. So far, they seem to be self-supporting and trying not to be a burden. Some are engaged in good works projects for Georgians. That said, they’re driving rents here sky high. Anti-Russian sentiment is high, though not hostile. At least 112,000 Russians have fled here this year. One sees many “Slava Ukrainii!” (“Glory to Ukraine!”) signs and Ukrainian flags displayed, plus the occasional “F**** Russia” graffiti scrawled here and there. Bar owners are known either to refuse admittance to Russians or to compel them to complete a demeaning form before being allowed to enter. Children of these Russians are not allowed to attend Georgian schools. Most are home schooled by their parents. There have been small demonstrations by Georgians to the new Russians in their midst, but all has been peaceful so far.
Driving across country, I skirted within a few miles of the Georgia-South Ossetia border. I saw scores of Russia-bound commercial trucks just south of the frontier waiting to get cleared to cross (see photo). The wait time is about a week. Most are Russian, but many are from other countries as well. Georgia has not joined the sanctions regime against Moscow. I’m finding that many Georgians disagree with their government’s policy of trying to play both sides, and its open door policy for Russians fleeing Putin’s mobilization.
I return to the capital Tbilisi tomorrow for meetings. Stay tuned.