Gori and the capital city, Tbilisi, were repeatedly attacked, as well (1). In August 2008, the Russian forces bombed various cities and villages. But soon, I realized that the absolute majority of them saw Georgians as the ultimate evil that simply deserved to die. My desire was to talk to them and maybe get some empathy or compassion from them. I was thinking that if I could spot the planes beforehand, they wouldn’t bomb us, maybe… It sounds so ridiculous now, but in the middle of the war, any thought that mitigates the horrible feeling of helplessness for a 20-year-old is a tremendous relief.Īnother childish thing I did was to contact random Skype users located in Russia. I remember staying awake at night, thinking that I could somehow “prevent” Russian planes from bombing us. But at the same time, I was scared for my own safety-as everyone would be. I was obviously worried about my brothers being stuck in Borjomi, and my friend and my cousin protecting the country at the frontlines. But since the Russian troops had entered the very heart of Georgia-Gori-my brothers were unable to come back from vacation in Borjomi due to a blockade of the main East-West Road. I was too young to understand the big picture. Then came a few weeks of complete horror. Soon after, my cousin and a close friend of mine, both 19-years-old, had been taken to the frontlines to protect our country. But naïve and young as we were, we could not realize what the actual consequences would be. The shelling had started on August 1 by the separatist forces from Samachablo (the self-proclaimed state of South Ossetia) that were backed by the Russian troops. I will never forget the expression on his slightly pale face as he said: “I think the war is about to start…” Just as we were discussing the details of where to camp and the likes, my father entered the room. I was celebrating my twentieth birthday with friends and family by planning a hiking trip in the mountains of Georgia. I will contextualize the current situation by sharing my personal experience of the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, and reflecting upon crucial approaches to countering disinformation and building peace. In March 2023, protesters resisted the government’s attempts to adopt what has been described as a ‘Russian law’ targeting the media and civil society. These tensions are particularly evident in the recent protests that transpired in Georgia against the ruling party, which has displayed Russian sympathies. The overwhelming inclination of Georgia’s population towards Europe makes Russia scared to lose its influence in the region, and we are all witnessing the horrific consequences of this imperialistic approach. I intend to draw more attention to this region now-especially in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine-because Georgia has been the object of Russian imperialism for centuries, without Western societies fully realizing the significance and the gravity of the situation. The Russian tactics include propagating fake news and financing far-right movements, serving the famous “divide and conquer” approach. The Russian government does all that is in its power to polarize the societies in the South Caucasus because it knows that the choice for these countries is between the West and Russia. Summary: This personal article discusses the situation in Georgia and the role Russia plays in igniting the conflicts with its neighboring countries.
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