Russian tourist in Georgia sparks outrage with flag display
5:51 PM EDT, July 11, 2024
Most European countries have banned Russian tourists from traveling freely. However, where Russians can travel, they are not welcomed with open arms. This was experienced by a man who decided to manifest his nationality in Georgia. The Russian flag on his backpack elicited a very hostile reaction.
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the West imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia. The restrictions also affect the movement of the aggressor country's citizens. According to the Association of Russian Tour Operators (ATOR), the number of countries to which direct flights from Russia are possible is only 40 destinations.
Only four European countries are included: Belarus, Serbia, Turkey, and Georgia. A pair of Russian tourists traveled to this last country. They will probably not remember this trip as a successful one.
A Russian tourist put a Russian flag on his backpack and decided to walk around Batumi, a city in Georgia, 20% of whose territory is occupied by Putin's invaders. He was not received warmly, according to Anton Gerashchenko's post on platform X.
The post includes a video. Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian politician who is extremely active on platform X, showed the entire footage. The video leaves no illusions—the Russian provoked a hostile reaction by placing the flag on his backpack.
Show me. Are you ****ing stupid? Why did you place this flag? You are f*cking occupiers. Don't come here again, a man from Georgia recording the whole scene treated them.
At the end of the recording, it turned out that the Russians encountered... another Russian. However, he seems to live in Georgia permanently. He appears to be an opponent of the war. He strongly emphasized that he does not agree with such flaunting of the Russian flag. He did not mince words and said what he thought about such behavior.