Russian Migrants in Tbilisi: The New White Russians?

Following the February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military, an estimated 100,000 Russians fled their own country to take refuge in Georgia. The arrival of Russians in large numbers, however, did not go unnoticed by many in Georgia, 20% of which continues to be occupied by the Russian military. These events prompt the following questions: Why did Russians choose to flee their country, and what have their lives been like in Georgia? To answer these questions, this paper draws on 16 in-depth interviews with Russian migrants conducted in the summers of 2022, 2023, and 2024. The paper uses the aspirations- capabilities model of migration to interpret the decision to migrate, and develops the distinction between negative and positive intrinsic aspirations to migrate. The paper also builds upon descriptions of the Russian migrants and the White Russians with an analytical comparison of the different waves in terms of the aspirations- capabilities model. The paper finds that the Russian migrants find themselves between an at times hostile Georgian public and a regime in Georgia that also may not view the migrants favorably.