In Georgian capital, a sanctuary for Russians opposed to Putin’s war

On Tbilisi’s bustling Rustaveli Avenue, the voices of newly arrived Russians mingle with the sights and sounds of Georgia’s capital. They are among tens of thousands of Russians who have fled their homeland since President Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine, part of an exodus led by the young and mobile who fear increased political repression and economic stagnation if they stay in Russia.

For young men like Constantine, a software developer who lived in Moscow, the war also carried the risk of being conscripted and sent to fight in Ukraine, where he has family ties. Like many Russian migrants he asked that his full name not be used because of the sensitivity of antiwar opinion in Russia.

“Once it began I knew I had to leave as I didn’t see anything good happening in Russia and we were becoming increasingly isolated from the world,” he says. “I also felt that there was a strong possibility that I would be drafted into the army and that was something I definitely didn’t want. ... I’ve never wanted to be a soldier or kill people; I’ve always wanted to create rather than to destroy.”

A former Soviet republic, Georgia offers visa-free access to Russians who find it relatively easy to adapt to a country where Russian TV and movies are popular and many older citizens speak fluent Russian. It offers a mild climate, an affordable cost of living, and political freedoms. That has made it a magnet for Russians for whom the invasion of Ukraine marked a point of no return after years of political repression.

Georgia also knows what it’s like to be invaded by Russia under Mr. Putin: In 2008, Georgia fought a brief war against Russian forces who continue to occupy around 20% of the country. Since last month, rallies have been held to oppose the invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, some Georgians look askance at a surge in Russian migrants, and their arrival has been blamed for rising apartment rents in Tbilisi.

A small bar close to Rustaveli Avenue has become a de facto welcome hub for arriving Russians looking to make friends and swap tips about their new sanctuary. The bar hums with accents from all corners of Russia, as newcomers fret about the repression at home.

Leo Jimmer, an activist and journalist from Siberia who worked for jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny, has been here longer than most. He fled Russia in October in fear of being imprisoned himself amid a crackdown on Mr. Navalny’s political organizations.

“Tbilisi is my home now. It’s a great city with great people and I’m so thankful to Georgians for welcoming me here, it is my shelter,” he says.

On the wall of the bar is a large Ukrainian flag. Many of the young men and women gathered here wear badges with the blue and yellow of the flag, which are also worn by Georgians who express solidarity with Ukraine. 

Nikita, a former systems analyst in Moscow, says he no longer felt safe living in Russia. He already had a vacation booked in Armenia for the week after the war started, so he continued on to Georgia rather than go home. 

“I don’t agree with the Russian government. I didn’t vote for it and I’ve been protesting it since 2011 but it didn’t come to anything, but now it feels like we were back behind the Iron Curtain,” he says.

“Tbilisi is a great city. It is beautiful, very welcoming. I haven’t experienced any problems here at all and there is so much freedom.”

Natasha, a makeup artist from Saratov, agrees. “I came here because there is a lot of freedom here. There is no freedom in Russia, especially in Moscow. I decided to leave Russia because I hate Putin. When he started the war, I decided to leave because I didn’t want my taxes to fund something that I hate,” she says.

Pro-Kremlin customers not welcome

By some estimates, more than 20,000 Russians have fled to Georgia, which allows Russian citizens to stay for up to a year. That has led to a surge in demand for apartments in Tbilisi, particularly from Russians who work in tech and earn high salaries.

While many landlords are keen to cash in on the new arrivals, others are refusing to rent to anyone from Russia or Belarus as long as the war continues in Ukraine. Some business owners have put up signs telling customers with pro-Kremlin sympathies to stay away.

Dariya Zheniskkan, a Kazakh who owns a Tbilisi bar popular with Russians, says she’s had some run-ins with Georgians who resent the new arrivals.

“What people don’t understand is that the people who come here are the opposition, they are anti-Putin and they don’t support the war in Ukraine,” she says. And that’s why she’s welcoming them. “We really want to provide a place where people running from their country can feel at home for one evening.”