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.
The country depends heavily on Russia for its wheat. Now, with the war in Ukraine disrupting global supplies, concerns are rising that Georgia could be left vulnerable.
Many outsiders have been calling on Georgia to take advantage of Russian weakness to reclaim its lost territories. But Georgians themselves aren’t having it.