Archil Jangirashvili

In the first year following Russia's war against Ukraine, a significant number of Russian citizens left the Russian Federation. Georgia, particularly the cities of Tbilisi and Batumi, became a key destination for many of them. Their arrival was not marginal or gradual. Within a short period, tens of thousands of Russian citizens relocated to Georgia, while thousands registered businesses and purchased property. In 2023 alone, Russian citizens registered around 13,000 legal entities in Georgia.

About the author: Archil Jangirashvili is a Georgian lawyer and academic specializing in law, political ethics, and human rights. The question of whether Russian society bears responsibility for Vladimir Putin’s actions has been raised repeatedly since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This debate is not confined to Eastern Europe; it also actively circulates in Western political and academic circles. Often, it produces a comforting illusion: the source of today’s threa