The Russian language is no longer neutral

A man holds a placard during a protest against a controversial "foreign influence" bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 28, 2024. In the first year following Russia's war against Ukraine, a significant number of Russian citizens left the Russian Federation. Georgia, particularly the cities of Tbilisi and Batumi, became a key destination for many of them.

Their arrival was not marginal or gradual. Within a short period, tens of thousands of Russian citizens relocated to Georgia , while thousands registered businesses and purchased property. In 2023 alone, Russian citizens registered around 13,000 legal entities in Georgia. The speed of this process is critical to understanding its implications. Such rapid integration into economic life would not have been possible without a certain degree of state tolerance, if not facilitation. At the same time, Georgian society raised legitimate questions: Who exactly was entering the country? Did the relevant security institutions possess sufficient information about individuals acquiring property and launching businesses on such a scale? While Russians label this reaction as hostility, these questions are rather logical if you account for the general unease about security, transparency, and political context in Georgia. However, rather than addressing these concerns through clear communication or institutional safeguards, the Georgian state largely avoided engaging with them at all. Instead, government representatives frequently described criticism surrounding the mass arrival of Russians as "ethnic discrimination" and accused the opposition of fueling anti-Russian sentiment. More strikingly, the Georgian authorities pressured private banks and companies that required Russian clients to acknowledge Russia 's occupation of Georgian territories or recognize the war in Ukraine as Russian aggression. The government showed little concern for how relations between Georgian society and Russian newcomers would evolve.

Key points

• Their arrival was not marginal or gradual.
• Within a short period, tens of thousands of Russian citizens relocated to Georgia , while thousands registered businesses and purchased property.
• In 2023 alone, Russian citizens registered around 13,000 legal entities in Georgia.
• The speed of this process is critical to understanding its implications.
• Such rapid integration into economic life would not have been possible without a certain degree of state tolerance, if not facilitation.