Russians in Georgia
There is a small Russian population in Georgia, less than 0.5% of the total population in 2014,
During the Soviet period, most Russians were urban dwellers and made up a disproportionately high percentage of the urban population.[
History
Ethnic Russians appeared in Georgia in significant numbers after Georgia became part of the Russian Empire in 1803 (Kartli and Kakheti) - 1878 (Ajara).
Census data shows that the Russian population had risen from 83 to the high-point of 407,886 between 1926 and 1959 and then began to decline slowly to 341,172 in 1989. Almost all Russians left Georgia during the 1990s due to economic hardships, ethnic tensions and other reasons decreasing percent of Russian population in Georgia from 6.3% in 1989 to 0.5% in 2014.[6]
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Following the
In September 2022 alone 222,274 people entered Georgia from Russia, according to the
The arrival of Russians made real estate prices skyrocket in
In October 2022, protests were held demanding the introduction of a visa regime with Russia in order to mitigate the economic damage caused by the migration, with the ruling Georgian Dream party dismissing such a step as "irrational".[9]
By early 2024, the peak number of Russians who had moved to Georgia since the beginning of the war had declined by approximately one-third, from a peak of 110,000 at the end of 2022. Most departing Georgia are moving to another country with some returning to Russia.[2]
Abkhazia
Russians made up 2% of the 100,000
References
- ^ a b Total population by regions and ethnicity, census.ge, 2014.[dead link]
- ^ a b c After A Frosty Reception, Tbilisi's Wartime Russians Are Beginning To Leave, RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty, 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Население грузии".
- ^ "население абхазии". www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru.
- ^ "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru.
- ^ George Khutsishvili (February–March 1994). "Intervention in Transcaucasus". Boston University. 4 (3). Perspective. Archived from the original on 2000-05-25.
- ^ Najibullah, Farangis (2022-03-14). "Fearing Fallout From Putin's War, Russians Flee Abroad". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- ^ Gessen, Masha (March 17, 2022). "The Russians Fleeing Putin's Wartime Crackdown". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
- ^ a b "222,274 people came to Georgia from Russia in September". JAM News. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ "How the war in Ukraine affects the real estate market in Georgia". JAM News. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ "Russians fleeing Putin's war add new strain to old tensions in nearby Georgia". USA Today. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
Censuses
See also
- Russian emigration following the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Demographics of Georgia
- Russian diaspora
- Georgia–Russia relations
- Russians in post-Soviet states