Russians are fleeing Putin’s draft. Georgia has been a key hub for Russian exiles since February, but a fresh influx is angering many locals
. One of those who arrived shortly after the war began was Phillip Smirnov, 21, a left-wing journalist who says he left Russia in disgust. “We wanted to do antiwar protests in Russia, but it clearly wasn’t working. It was pretty devastating. Some of our editors were detained. I was scared. We moved the entire editorial board,” he says, referring to the independent Russian website DOXA News , where he works.One popular hangout for people like Smirnov is Koshini, set up by an opposition blogger.
Meanwhile, Daedena, a bar on the bank of Tbilisi’s Mkvari river, asks visitors for their passports on entry. Russians are forced to apply for a “visa” to enter by scanning a QR code and checking boxes that they’ve said “glory to Ukraine,” condemned Russian aggression, promised not to speak Russian, and recognized that 20% of Georgia is still occupied by Russia. Ksenia Sobchak, a socialite turned activist who ran against Putin in the 2018 presidential race, refused to comply, telling her 9.
It’s not just overzealous bouncers that make Russians in Tbilisi nervous. Russia’s much-feared state security service, the FSB, has reportedlyto keep tabs on Russian exiles. And the government, led by the Georgian Dream party, has been accused by critics of secretly collaborating with the Kremlin.
“The main message is that the U.S. is trying to drag Georgia into war. These were messages that were coming from fringe, far-right Russian-backed actors but have now been taken up by Georgian Dream,” Galeva says. She sees this as an attempt to distract from Georgia’s faltering E.U. membership prospects.
All of this has led to a strained atmosphere in Tbilisi, and Georgia as a whole. Many Georgians say they have suffered for generations due to their proximity to Russia, and as a former Soviet republic. Though some people are making money from the exiles, it is clear that many Georgians do not welcome them. A group of protesters went to the border on Thursday holding up signs that read, “Russian deserters not welcome.
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