23 people detained at protest against Russian liner in Batumi

This was reported by Radio Liberty’s Ekho Kavkaza project. 

The Georgian Interior Ministry has announced the detention of 23 people who were protesting against the arrival of a liner with Russian tourists in Batumi. They are charged with disorderly conduct and disobedience to police. Among the detainees is a citizen of Ukraine.

The Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Batumi, Rostom Nakashidze, said that he had not had the opportunity to see the detainee, who was in the police department.

A rally is planned in Batumi in the evening to demand the release of all detainees. A similar rally will also be held in Tbilisi.

It is noted that a bus with Russian tourists who arrived in Batumi on the cruise ship Astoria Grande was attacked by protesters who threw bottles and eggs.

According to journalists at the scene, most of the passengers are still on board the ship.

Earlier it was reported that the cruise ship Astoria Grande with Russian tourists, which arrived in Batumi again in the morning, set sail on 29 July on the route Sochi-Trabzon-Batumi-Amasra-Istanbul-Sochi.

In the morning, students, opposition and civil society activists gathered in the Batumi port and met the ship in Georgia with a protest.

Metal fences were erected at the site and security measures were stepped up.

As of the morning of July 31, the Georgian Interior Ministry confirmed the detention of nine protesters. One of the leaders of the Lelo party, Irakli Kupradze, reported that a Ukrainian citizen had been detained at the rally.

Among the passengers of the Astoria Grande are:

• former lead singer of the Hi-Fi band Mitya Fomin, who in 2022 took part in the patriotic marathon "Za Rossiyu" in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The website of the War and Sanctions portal states that he "played an important role in Russian propaganda and supported Russian policies that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, and the annexation of Crimea". He has been banned from entering Ukraine since 2017, when he said that Crimea belongs to Russia.

• The Russian musical group Te100steron ("Testosterone"), founded by brothers Andrei and Valery Birbichadze. They were born in Kazakhstan, then moved to Russia. They perform songs in Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, English, Ukrainian and Georgian.

• Dmitry Koldun is a Belarusian singer, winner of the Russian project "Star Factory 6", who represented Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. He gave a concert in the 'DPR' in 2018.

• 19-year-old artist from Bishkek Amirchik (Amirkhan Batabaev), Russian music project Filatov & Karas, hosts Ivan Chuikov and Dmitry Olenin.

What preceded 

As a reminder, on 27 July, Georgians chased the Astoria Grande liner with Russian tourists bound for Sochi out of the port of Batumi. They chanted "Russian ship, go f**k yourself" and "Abkhazia is Georgia", and brought photographs depicting Abkhazia and the events of the August war.

During the rally, a Russian flag appeared in one of the ship's cabins, but it was soon removed.

Batumi residents were outraged by the arrival of the ship from Russia and the comments made by Russian tourists on board. In interviews with local media, they claimed that Russia had not occupied Georgia, "we are still in the Soviet Union", and one of the tourists openly stated that she had visited Abkhazia, which is a violation of Georgian law.

The ship sailed two days ahead of schedule under pressure from local protesters.

On 28 July, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said that the arrival of the ship with Russian tourists in Batumi was the latest provocation by Russia.

What is known about Russians in Georgia

On 11 May, it became known that Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree according to which the visa regime for Georgian citizens would be cancelled on 15 May 2023. Air travel between the two countries will also resume. The EU called on Georgia to prevent Russian planes from entering its territory.

On 15 May, Georgia allowed the first Russian airline to operate flights to the country. The next day, Georgian Airways received permission to operate regular flights to Moscow.

In Georgia, the opposition promises to meet the first flight from Moscow with a protest.

On 19 May, the Civil Aviation Agency of Georgia issued a flight permit to another Russian airline, Red Wings.

On 27 July, the President of Georgia condemned the transfer of Sukhumi airport to the Russian Federation by the "authorities" of occupied Abkhazia.