Land ownership is a sensitive issue in Abkhazia. The deal also sparked controversy in Georgia proper, where critics accused the government of closing its eyes to Russian expansion.
While the country’s public defender says the group’s activities violate the constitution, others argue that banning it could set a dangerous precedent.
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.
Students are protesting that they can’t afford to return to the capital to resume their studies in person because rents have gotten so high, a trend many blame on the recent Russian influx.
Azerbaijan blocked a Russian state news agency after it published pro-Armenian articles; now Moscow is hitting back, threatening Azerbaijani state media for being pro-Ukraine.
Workers at Georgia’s iconic mineral water works haven’t been paid, and dozens were laid off, since the company’s Russian owners fell under American and European sanctions.
