New visa rules, resumption of nonstop flights seen as Russian hybrid warfare in Georgia

TBILISI -- Russia's move to lift visas for Georgians and resume nonstop flights to Tbilisi is a trap designed to aggravate the nation's ties with the West, observers say.

On Friday (May 19), a Russian passenger plane landed in the Caucasus country for the first time in four years, after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree earlier this month to lift a ban on nonstop flights by Russian airlines to Georgia.

Moscow unilaterally imposed the ban in 2019.

Russia's Transport Ministry said Russian airlines would now operate seven flights weekly between Moscow and Tbilisi.

Georgia's airline, Georgian Airways, is expected to begin flying to Moscow on Saturday.

Dozens of Georgians protested Friday outside Tbilisi Airport as the flight operated by Azimuth Airline touched down in the capital.

"You Are Not Welcome," said one placard, while a banner held by several people read: "Russia Is a Terrorist State."

Moscow initially banned air travel between the countries in 2006 after Russian spies were arrested in Georgia. Regular flights resumed in 2014 but ended again in July 2019 after a wave of anti-Kremlin protests in Georgia.

A second decree that Putin signed May 10 allows Georgian nationals to enter Russia without visas starting from May 15, unless they are coming to work in Russia for more than 90 days, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported.

Putin introduced the visa regime in 2000, pointing to militants attempting to penetrate the North Caucasus.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said the recent moves were aimed at "gradually improving conditions for communication and contacts between the citizens of Russia and Georgia in the absence of diplomatic relations".

Georgia and Russia fought a brief war in 2008 over South Ossetia, a Russian-backed breakaway region of Georgia, which saw the Kremlin recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the establishment of permanent Russian military bases there.

The two countries have had no formal diplomatic ties since the war.

'Another provocation'

Putin's decision has sparked mixed feelings in the Black Sea nation whose ruling Georgian Dream party faces mounting accusations of covertly co-operating with the Kremlin since coming to power with Russia's backing in 2012.

Hundreds of Georgians already took to the streets to protest against the resumption of flights earlier this week, and more protests are expected.

"The whole civilised world is isolating Putin, but the Georgian government is happy to reopen air links with Putin's Russia," said Kote Ratiani, a 19-year-old biology student in Tbilisi.

"This is unacceptable, and we will be protesting against it," he told AFP on Friday morning.

Georgian Dream officials have tried to tout the move as a sign of warming ties with Russia.

"We have noted more than once and this is a fact -- in Russia there are one million ethnic Georgians who have families, relatives, and loved ones here. Easing travel is very important. This is a very positive decision," Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili claimed May 11.

But according to the most recent Russian census, Georgians in Russia account for a little more than 113,000 people.

For their part, the opposition has accused the ruling party of being complicit with Russia and failing to comply with the sanctions regime imposed on Russian flights after the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin's recent decrees are "another provocation", Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on Twitter on May 10.

"Resuming direct flights and lifting visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory," she wrote.

Zourabichvili, whose post is largely ceremonial, has often accused Georgian Dream of having ties with Moscow.

Isolating Georgia

Others see the decrees as aimed at isolating Georgia from the West.

Analyst Gela Vasadze told AFP Putin's move is "part of a hybrid war aimed at spoiling Georgia's relationship with the West".

Georgia is being reconsidered for European Union candidate status at the end of 2023, after it was denied last year pending a series of recommended reforms.

"The main thing that Moscow wants to show the West now is 'Georgia is my territory, so don't meddle,'" former Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze told Caravanserai.

"Of course, in parallel, it also rewards our government for not joining in anti-Russian sanctions and for an openly pro-Russian course," he said, adding, "No one will ever believe that Putin cares about people and wants to make life and travel easier for them."

"I think Russia has two goals," Gia Japaridze, a retired diplomat, told Caravanserai.

"The first is to show goodwill to Georgian Dream for everything it does in the interests of Moscow. The second is to establish a channel that quickly and effectively bypasses international sanctions," he said.

"Many reports say that the route through Georgia is still being used to import prohibited goods into Russia. But road traffic is slow and depends on the weather and airplanes are much faster," he added.

Sanctions warnings

Europe and the United States have also raised sanctions concerns.

The airline first to receive permission to fly nonstop to Georgia was Azimuth, which flies Russian Sukhoi Superjets.

Ukraine has imposed sanctions on Azimuth and its founders Vitaly Vantsev, Pavel Udod and Pavel Ekzhanov.

"Many Western countries, including the United States, prohibit Russian aircraft from entering their airspace," the US State Department told the Georgian Service of Voice of America on February 2.

"We would be concerned about the resumption of flights between Russia and Georgia, given that companies at Georgian airports could be subject to sanctions if they serve aircraft subject to additional import and export controls."

"The entire Western community has distanced itself from this brutal regime, and now is not the time to expand engagement with Russia," it added.

"The European Union calls on Georgia to join the sanctions imposed by the European Union and other countries against Russia in the aviation sector and to remain vigilant against any possible attempts to circumvent the sanctions," Peter Stano, an EU spokesman, told the Georgian newspaper Netgazeti on February 4.

Ukraine also criticised Georgia on May 16 for allowing Russia to resume nonstop flights.

"The world is isolating Russia to force it to stop the war, but Georgia is welcoming Russian airlines and sending its own to Moscow," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on social media.

He pointed out that 20% of Georgian territory is still occupied by Russia "with impunity", referring to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"The Kremlin will surely be delighted," he added.