In South Ossetia, meanwhile, the authorities have remained completely silent on the issue. Most residents in both territories hold Russian citizenship, raising the prospect they could be drafted.
A lack of detailed data means that it is difficult to measure what a 49 percent increase in exports to Russia means. But the country’s partners in Europe and the U.S. are watching.
Georgians and Russians have not had such close contact, and on such a scale, since the breakup of Soviet Union. Now they are figuring each other out again.
BP, which operates the pipeline to Georgia's Black Sea coast, says the shutdown is temporary and that in the meantime all oil exports are being rerouted through Turkey.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China-Europe cargo transport is shifting to the south, but infrastructure in the Caucasus is still relatively underdeveloped.