There is a monument on Georgia's Black Sea coast honoring the indigenous Caucasians who were displaced or lost their lives at the hands of the Russian Empire in the 19th century.
The figurehead president warned that denying EU membership candidate status would embolden Russia and empower the already-ascendant forces of illiberalism in Georgia.
The de facto authorities fortified government buildings in an apparent attempt to prevent a revolution like the ones that overthrew previous governments in 2020 and 2014.
Tbilisi seems to be facilitating Armenia-Russia maritime links, but has no intention, for now, of reviving the railway connection through breakaway Abkhazia.
With little willingness among politicians to overcome the divisions that plague the country, some groups and individuals are taking matters into their own hands.
The BBC's findings are a boon to Georgia's ruling party, which has long cast Davit Kezerashvili as a corrupt oligarch secretly bankrolling the opposition.