In 2023, more Russians left Georgia than entered – Kommersant

At the end of 2023, 1,856,237 Russian citizens entered Georgia, and 1,887,223 Russians left during the year. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia reports this with reference to the Border Police Department. For clarity, the message provides data from the fourth quarter: 348,050 citizens of the Russian Federation entered the Caucasian country, and 359,000 left it.

The year-on-year difference of 30,986 citizens is explained by the fact that in addition to the already traditionally high number of Russian tourists, the number of which increased even more last year thanks to the restoration of direct flights between the two countries, the statistics are also affected by the outflow from Georgia of Russian relocants who moved for permanent residence back in 2022. For them, Georgia is no longer attractive, mainly due to the excessive cost of living in Tbilisi and Batumi.

Georgian authorities over the past year and a half rejected all initiatives Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM) party to ban Russians from buying apartments in the country and limiting their right to do business. However, “Moscow prices” for food and housing alienated a significant part of Russians from Georgia.

From 2022 citizens of the Russian Federation registered There are 1,550 enterprises in Georgia and just last year bought 5784 apartments.

Previously, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili expressed dissatisfaction the fact that the Russians, in her words, “behave like at home here,” and the third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is in prison, threatened “to force Russian citizens to sell real estate in Georgia” after the UNM returns to power.

How the authorities of the republic are changing the rules for relocants – in the material of Kommersant FM “Georgia is eyeing business”.

Georgiy Dvali, Tbilisi