Liner with Russians departs Batumi 2 days early after "hospitable" reception

The cruise ship Astoria Grande, carrying Russian tourists, sailed from the Georgian city of Batumi on Thursday evening, two days ahead of schedule, under pressure from local protesters.

Source: Netgazeti news outlet, reported by European Pravda

Details: Residents of Batumi gathered near the cruise ship, which had arrived from the Russian city of Sochi a day earlier, at 21:00 Kyiv time. They chanted "Russian ship, go f**k yourself" and "Abkhazia is Georgian", and brought photographs depicting Abkhazia and the events of the August war.

Those present at the pier where Astoria Grande docked also sang the Georgian national anthem.

During the rally, a Russian flag appeared in one of the ship's cabins, but it was soon removed. An hour after the protest, the Astoria Grande finally left the port.

Batumi residents were outraged by the arrival of the ship from Russia and the comments made by Russian tourists on board. In interviews with local media outlets, those Russians claimed that Russia had not occupied Georgia, "we are still in the Soviet Union", and one of the tourists openly stated that she had visited Abkhazia, which is a violation of Georgian law.

The Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia said the day before that the arrival of the Astoria Grande cruise ship was commercial. The liner is registered in the Seychelles in the name of Goodwin Shipping Limited and is not subject to international sanctions.

Background: Last spring, Georgia allowed three airlines to operate direct flights to Russia, including those that had been operating flights to annexed Crimea. 

Read more on the topic: How Tbilisi is destroying its strategic partnership with Kyiv by resuming flights with Russia.

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