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Georgia has a long and troubled relationship with its giant neighbour Russia which the war in Ukraine hasn’t made any easier – with Russian troops in two of it’s own separatist regions, a recent influx of Russians fleeing mobilization, and a ruling elite with ambiguous links to Moscow, its not surprising many in Georgia see the conflict as a barometer for their own future – we went to find out why

01 05

When Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24 ^th of February 2022, few could have imagined how long the war would continue, or how significant the wider geo-political earthquake would be – especially for nearby countries that have long lived in Russia’s shadow

Georgia, at the eastern end of the Black Sea, is one of those still reeling from the seismic shock.

Eka Gigauri, Executive director of Transparency International Georgia

01 30

we are in a very sensitive situation. We are bordering Russia. We didn’t know what to expect from Russians

01 37

It has a complex relationship with its giant neighbour – not least because of the ambiguous connectionsbetween its current government and the Kremlin –

David Katsrava, Anti-occupation activist

01 47

almost every day … Russians are kidnapping our citizens.

01 52

but it has been one of the few destinations open for Russians opposed to the war. Tens of thousands have crossed the border since February – an inflow that dramatically increased in September when Russia’s Vladimir Putin announced a mobilisation of extra troops. The exodus hasn’t been universally welcomed

Giga Lemonjaba, Political activist

02 13

Every day hundreds and thousands of Russian citizens cross our border. And Georgian government which very clearly and openly collaborates and cooperates with the Russian government and the FSB does nothing to respond to the threats

02 31

In Georgia’s bustling capital Tbilisi you are now just as likely to hear Russian being spoken as Georgian, and some here are worried that Putin supporters could have been deliberately concealed among the most recent arrivals - Russians whose ethnicity the Kremlin could exploit if it ever wanted to repeat a Ukraine-style invasion here.

taisia bekbulatova, Russian journalist

02 55

I think there is a lot of tension here because they think that people who are running from Russia… they are bringing their problems here.

03 36

Its night time in the capital and the graffiti artists have come out in force

Activist

03 13

It’s 6 ^th time we are writing the same message against the Russians’ invasion in Georgia because our government did nothing. Russians come here now. They are occupiers. And Putin might come

03 27

It’s taken an hour to finish the graffiti, but it may not be there for long. The authorities diligently paint over any anti-Russian slogans

Sure enough, the following day it’s gone, but there’s plenty of other graffiti in Tbilisi.

First annexed by Russia in the 19 ^th Century and then subjected to 70 years of rule by the Soviet Union, Georgia shares a troubled past with its powerful neighbour.

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

04 00

Our independence was crushed and our elites were decimated or corrupted by Soviet Stalinist brutal and cynical rule. And we are paying price for that until now.

04 14

Tbilisi’s occupation museum catalogues those seven terrible decades under the communists.

To this day, two Russian-backed separatist regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, are still occupied by Russian troops. In a process known as ‘borderization,’ the Russians are frequently accused of seeking to extending their influence ever-deeper, by illicitly moving the border fence further south. Georgian activists are outraged.

David Katsarava, Anti-occupation activist

04 47

We are monitoring the occupation line almost every day. So… we decided not to trust our government because our government … unfortunately is very much pro-Russian.

05 03

David Katsrava and his colleagues regularly fly drones to gather evidence of Russian incursions. It’s dangerous work.

They tell us that every week Georgians are abducted by Russian soldiers and taken back into the occupied territories.

Roman Beghiluzi says he’s been captured and beaten on more than one occasion.

Roman Beghiluzi, Kidnap victim

05 25They beat me hard when I was caught. When they took me to the base, they did touch me, but didn't hit me in the face, I don't know what they were holding in their hands, but were hitting me in the head. Something like a baseball bat.

05 43

Activists claim the authorities do little to stop these kidnappings because their current government favours the Kremlin.

That view was given substance last February, when after Russia attacked Ukraine, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili refused to condemn the invasion and instead said Ukraine was being ‘punished.’

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

06 06

at best their position has been… ambiguous. And at worst they’ve been like … you know… silent ally of Putin. And they have capitalized on war in I would say a most treacherous way

06 22

Many Georgians allege the true architect of the government’s apparent pro Russian position is the country’s richest man – the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

06 34

He controls everything. All the institutions and prime ministers are his errand boys by his own admission.

Eka Gigauri, Executive director of Transparency International Georgia

06 40

This is Irakli Garibashvili. He is the prime minister of Georgia. He worked for Ivanishvili. We have the minister of interior of Georgia. He was previously the personal bodyguard of Mr. Ivanishvili. And then we have the head of the state security service of Georgia, Mr.Grigoriy Liluashvili. He also worked for Mr. Ivanishvili

Nodar Meladze, investigative journalist

07 05

Actually, this country has turned into Bidzina Ivanishvili's corporation.

07 11

Ivanishvili’s fortune is believed to now be equivalent to a third of the Georgia’s GDP.

Gia Nodia, political analyst

07 18

he is not just number one. There is a very big gap between him and whoever is number two.

07 27

His home, a sleek glass castle, with a priceless art collection and a massive shark pool, is perched on a mountain overlooking the capital – like something from a James Bond movie.

From this vantage point, his critics say, the billionaire wields almost unlimited influence.

Gia Nodia, political analyst

07 47

He controls all levers of power including those that political party shouldn’t control like courts, for instance, or local government

07 59

Georgian Dream, the party Ivanishvili formed to oust former pro-Western president, Mikhail Saakashvili, first swept to power in 2012. The oligarch himself held the post of prime minister until 2013 when he stepped down – but remained a force behind the scenes and briefly held the position of party chairman. In a rare interview after leaving office, he made this revealing admission.

Bidzina Ivanishvili

08 27

"Of course I will have influence on politics and on the government (after stepping down), as every citizen will, but my influence will be bigger.

08 36

His critics allege this influence even encompasses the jailing of rivals. Former president Mikhail Saakashvili, after being forced into exile overseas, was tried in absentia, arrested on his return to Georgia in 2021 and is now in prison on charges of abuse of power during his term in office. But supporters say they are trumped up and Amnesty international calls his incarceration an act of ‘political revenge.’

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

09 06

his imprisonment is a fundamental problem, too, because our current prime minister Mr.Garibashvili said if he wouldn’t be politically active, we wouldn’t have arrested him.

09 15

That said, the oligarch who ousted him also has his supporters. Ivanishvili, they say, is now really just a philanthropist who exercises little real authority.

George Khelshvili, MP Georgian Dream, deputy chair of the Foreign Relations Committee

09 27

The perception is because on and off he has been prime minister and leader of the party. And at some point, he announced about his retirement but then came back. But as a member of the party I have not seen much of his interference

09 43

We wanted to ask Ivanishvili directly about claims of his far-reaching hold on Georgian politics and his stance on Russia, but all our efforts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, the perception of undue influence remains - and years of protests have done little to stop the party he founded tightening its grip over public life and political debate. Georgian Dream’s opponents now routinely accuse it of purging senior figures in the fields of culture and science who show any signs of independence

Gia Nodia, political analyst

10 17

the figures that Ivanishvili considers dangerous… they have a very good chance of getting to prison...

10 25

Last May a judge sentenced Nika Gvaramia, the owner of the main opposition TV channel to three and a half years in prison

Gia Nodia, political analyst

10 35

He is very outspoken and personally attacked Ivanishvili and probably Ivanishvili had enough of that. Amnesty International and Georgian human rights organizations say its bogus charges.

10 50

But even apparently modest scrutiny of Ivanishvilli appears to run into problems. That at least was the experience of filmmaker Salome Jashi when she tried to show her film ‘Taming the Garden’ in Georgia

Salome Jashi, Film maker

11 04

So the film…. It’s about a hobby of the richest and the most wealthy person here in this country. And his hobby is to collect century old large trees. So he has commissioned his men to uproot these trees and to bring them to his private garden through the Black Sea.

11.23

Her multi-award-winning film has been screened in cinemas throughout Europe, North America and Asia, scores of countries, but strangely not in Georgia.

Salome Jashi Film maker

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After half a year of consideration the cinemas refused to release the film here under the pretense that they don’t have practice of releasing documentaries.

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At a cost of millions, the ancient trees were replanted here in Ivansihvili’s massive Black Sea estate, a corner of which is sometimes open to the public. 48 species of exotic birds have also been brought here, many kept under a vast net to stop them flying off.

Gia Nodia, political analyst

12 00

He has basically some kind of private zoo. He has penguins and sharks and giraffes

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When we flew our camera drone over his estate, its GPS was targeted and within minutes security guards found us and deleted the files. The few pictures we were able to gather show a rare glimpse of Ivanishvili’s lavish Black Sea Dacha.

Like anyone he’s entitled to privacy, but frequently in Georgia we heard complaints that the secretive oligarch and his party are out of touch and routinely misjudge the public mood – particularly when it comes to the country’s relations with Russia

Gia Nodia, political analyst

12 46

we had lots of huge demonstrations. Almost everybody who opposes Ivanishvili … thinks that he is pro-Russian and kind of does Putin’s bidding

12 58

Protests against the oligarch and the Government turned critical in June 2019, when crowds gathered in front of the Parliament building after Sergei Gavrilov, a Communist Party member of the Russian Duma, sat in a chair reserved by protocol for the Speaker of the House. Though ostensibly in Georgia to attend an international gathering of Orthodox religions, his appearance in Parliament seemed unduly provocative.

Gia Nodia, political analyst

13 25

The symbolism of that was very important … that Gavrilov who is kind of very imperialistically-minded Russian was sitting in the chair of speaker of Georgian parliament, he was seated there by Georgian government. So it was some kind of graphic confirmation that They want some Russian to sit in the driver’s seat. And that caused a very emotional reaction.

14 02

Thousands gathered outside parliament to show their disproval. But in the evening, despite the protest being peaceful, teargas and rubber bullets were deployed. Dozens were badly injured and 100s arrested,

Gavrilov’s apparent interest in the Orthodox church is something that both Vladimir Putin and Bidzina Ivanishvili share. The oligarch, seen here with the patriarch of Georgia, has formed a close relationship with the Orthodox Church, even paying for the construction of the country’s biggest cathedral. But critics say it’s a symbiotic relationship.

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

14 47

He has taken on board the worst part of church which are unfortunately the majority of it… as its ideological ally to demonize west, to demonize opponents, to demonize idea of liberty as such and to use their… hostile mob crowds as his foot soldiers.

Priest

15 07

"Georgia is yours. You must not let the devils take over Georgia, despite who they are."

15 17

In recent years both the government and church have intensified attacks on what they call decadent liberalism, as personified by former president Saakashvili, who remains confined in a prison hospital supposedly being treated for a heart condition.

Those now deemed moral enemies of Ivanishvili and the church, say they feel increasingly threatened – especially the countrys LGBT community.

Giorgi Tabagari, Pride Organiser

15 50

They've been mobilizing the most violent anti-LGBTQI protests. Biggest problem of the current churches, they are very much linked to the Russian Orthodox Church.

16 00

Last year’s scheduled pride march in the capital Tblisi was thus bound to be a tense affair. The patriarch’s call for a counter demonstration, was echoed by the Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili , who described the event as ‘unacceptable to Georgian society.’

Giorgi Tabagari, Pride Organiser

16 20

The government actually fuelled the whole thing and they gave the green light to their right-wing groups.

16 26

The Pride march was eventually cancelled but the counter demonstration still went ahead – and quickly turned violent leaving hundreds injured. Cameraman Lekso Laskarava, was just one of 60 journalists attacked that day, beaten so violently that he died at home 2 days later. This is the last footage Lekso filmed

Nodar Meladze, investigative journalist

17 00

Suddenly we look in the frame, we were shooting a live stream from there, a fight started, our cameraman was physically assaulted, and at that time the signal was cut off.

17 17

In the days following the event homophobic posters appeared across Tbilisi with pictures of Georgian Dream’s opponents. They bore the slogan: ‘Say no to evil!’ Saakashvili was already behind bars, Liberal TV owner Nika Gvaramia was soon to join him. Another face featured was that of Giorgi Tabagari

Giorgi Tabagari, Pride Organiser

17 40

in my case when people recognize me and because of that recognition, I ended up in trouble

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Lekso’s fellow cameramen came out in force to pay tribute to their colleague. However, the government claimed Lekso’s death was unrelated to his injuries, and part of a liberal plot. According to the prime minister, ‘This is another failed conspiracy against the state that was masterminded by anti-state and anti-church forces.’

Not surprisingly the demonstrations continued.

Then public sentiment soured much further, on the 24 ^th February this year when Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine. To the outrage of many Georgians the government refused to join much of the rest of the world in imposing sanctions on Russia, and then attempted to block the departure of Georgian volunteers to Ukraine

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

18 45

For years they’ve been cultivating the fear of war as an asset and a leverage of their keeping the status quo saying, if we lose if we are gone, meaning the oligarch mister Ivanishvili the Russians will attack us just like in 2008 and

now they are using Ukraine war as an example “Look, that’s what is happening if you, if you challenge us… status quo here. We are lying low and that’s the way of survival”.

19 12

But laying low is somethingmany Georgians find hard to do. We caught up with David Katsarava and his colleagues in the hills outside Tbilisi. Many of them had already seen action in Ukraine, some of the estimated 3,000 Georgian volunteers who have gone around the Black Sea to fight against the Russians – one the biggest foreign contingents in Ukraine’s army.

In fact, Davit was amongst the first to liberate Bucha

David Katsarava, Anti-occupation activist

19 44

Everybody knows what Russians did there. And the way how they were killing them and how they were torturing them… it’s unimaginable.

19 57

So what lies behind the widespread belief here that Bidzina Ivanishvili is keeping Georgia too closely tied to Russia?

Eka Gigauri, Executive director of Transparency International Georgia

20 05

Mr Ivanishvili has business interest in Russia he might take particular decisions in the interest of Russia and not Georgian public - people are very much concerned. And maybe not all of them know about the particular connections of Ivanishvili with Russian oligarchs.

20 26

One of these Russian oligarchs is sanctioned billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov. In April 2022 a recording of a telephone conversation between the two men emerged, during which the Yevtushenkov asks Ivanishvili to join him in a business venture. The two close friends used their nicknames Valod and Borenka

20 50

Telephone conversation

Ivanishvili: Valod, Hello!

Yevtushenkov: Hello, dear Borenka!

Ivanishvili: Glad to hear you!

Yevtushenkov: Bor, I have an idea, that I want to … David will bring it to you. He will meet you with Ali.

Ivanishvili: Yes, yes, yes.

Ivanishvili: Ok. I’ll meet them here.

21 04

In a follow up call Ivanishvili told the Russian he had asked the prime minister to help his business associates

21 11

Telephone conversation

Yevtushenkov: Borenka, tell me, please, my boy has arrived.

Ivanishvili: I immediately sent them to the Prime Minister, actually. He is young and will take care of everything. I told him what to do and probably they are already in a meeting with each other.

Gia Nodia, political analyst

21 25

he says, the prime minister will meet your associate”. It’s like he’s an errand boy.

Absolutely. Absolutely and Yevtushenko says, “No, I have a serious business. So I want to talk to you, not to some prime minister”.

George Khelshvili, MP Georgian Dream, deputy chair of the Foreign Relations Committee

21 38

What I heard there was nothing incriminated. It was a friendly conversation between two acquaintances….

Kronshtadt Drone advert

21 46

Yevtushenkov, seen here with Putin, is an arms manufacturer. His company, Kronshtadt, supplies Orion drones to the Russian forces which are used to bomb Ukrainian cities. Ukraine’s president, Volodmir Zelensky had already recalled his ambassador to Georgia by the time these phone conversations came to light, but since then, relations have further deteriorated.

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

22 12

of course, it’s a shame for behaviour of the government, but it’s a shame for the whole country… and for a long time to come.

22 19

Back at the border Russians continue to arrive – to some a cause for concern, to others proof that the Kremlin is losing the hearts and minds of Russians at home . Either way, with Putin bogged down in a war he seems less and less likely to win, some believe this is an opportunity for Georgia to finally shake off Russia’s overbearing interest.

Eka Gigauri, Executive director of Transparency International Georgia

22 43

This wind of opportunity opened because of the Ukraine. And of course, Ukraine fights our fight as well

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And if Ukraine should win the war, what would it mean for Georgia?

Gia Nodia, political analyst

22 55

I think it will weaken the government because government narrative was obviously based on the presumption Russian winning the war and appeasing Russia and somewhat strengthen the opposition.

23 12

But though a Russian defeat might loosen Ivanishvili’s grip on the country, or even undo Georgia’s shackles to Russia, it’s worth remembering that the country has had such chances before. Back in 1991, after the fall of the USSR, it won back its independence but still couldn’t fully break free.

Giga Bokeria, Chair, European Georgia - Movement for Liberty Party

23 37

The most painful thing is the fear of losing our historic momentum and then generations paying price for that… just like it happened in 90s

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In a country where the scars of the Soviet Union are yet to heal, the fear of history repeating itself is palpable.

The country is still littered with communist symbols and former Soviet showpiece buildings, many now in ruins like this grand hotel in the spar resort of Tskaltubo.

Now its home to refugees from Georgia’s two territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia, still occupied by Russia troops. Some people have been here for almost 30 years – living proof that the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions should never be underestimated. With the sudden influx of so many Russians, there is understandable fear in Georgia of what Putin might do next – whatever happens in Ukraine.

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