With Azerbaijani demonstrators settling in for the long haul on the Lachin Corridor, Armenia is questioning whether Moscow is willing or able to end the standoff.
The government has been facing calls, including from its American and European allies, to ensure that the former president is being adequately treated. But it accuses Saakashvili of faking his condition.
The blockade appears to be part of an increasing pressure campaign on the road and the Armenians who depend on it, and the protesters appeared to be ready to stay.
As Georgia sees a surge in demand for cargo transit amid the Ukraine war, the government hopes to resume construction of a controversial deep sea port.
Some Azerbaijanis cheered their representatives standing up to a Russian presence they consider pro-Armenian. Others, though, pointed out the hypocrisy.
The drills included a crossing of the river that forms the Azerbaijan-Iran border, mirroring the threat that Iran’s armed forces had made weeks earlier.