On 1 April, the Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner was forced to leave his birthday vacation in Georgia short after he and his entourage faced anti-Russia protesters in Tbilisi, reported the Open Caucasus Media. 

Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the recently created Droa (It’s Time) movement, and the organisers of the anti-Pozner protest, told the gathered crowd the Pozner was a “Kremlin propagandist” close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and that he had disrespected Georgia by saying that Abkhazia would never become part of Georgia. All major pro-Western political groups, including the United National Movement (UNM), European Georgia, and Lelo condemned Pozner’s visit, with some of their members joining the anti-Pozner protest. It should also be noted that Pozner’s visit came just a day after Georgia marked the 30th anniversary of the independence referendum which led to Georgia declaring independence from the Soviet Union.

Vakho Sanaia, a journalist from TV Formula, responded to Pozner’s arrival by posting on Facebook that he is not in favour of someone at the border being asked about their political views, and he had not met a Georgian who hates a Russian just for being Russian. Sanaia posted that Pozner is not an ordinary tourist: he is a well-known journalist and influencer. “In fact, Pozner is Putin’s most dangerous propagandist, and that’s why he works where he works. That’s why Pozner’s word matters. He is a representative of the Kremlin. Therefore, when he says that Abkhazia will never be Georgia, and Russia is right with Georgia, Pozner will never be a welcome guest. Therefore, his visit is insulting,” he wrote on Facebook. 

Initially, some of the protesters also accused Vladimir Pozner of violating Georgia’s Law on the Occupied Territories, something that the Georgian Interior Ministry denied alongside referring to Pozner as a “US citizen.” During the protests, Georgian authorities announced that Pozner and his delegation had all arrived in the country with either negative PCR tests or had proof of vaccination. The morning after the protest, the Interior Ministry followed up with their statement stating that they had fined 32 out of 50 Russian visitors for violating the curfew.  

Before police relocated the Russian visitors to the Rooms Hotel, protesters tried to disrupt the festivities as Pozner and his entourage dined at a restaurant inside Tbilisi’s Vinotel Boutique Hotel by cutting Vinotel’s electricity supply. Activists also reprimanded the Georgian authorities for letting Vladimir Pozner and his friends into the country and permitting them to enjoy the nightlife while ordinary citizens were still unable to do so.

Following the protests, the Georgian Labour Inspectorate announced at night that they would fine the restaurant 10,000 lari (almost $3,000) for operating during curfew hours. The coronavirus mitigation measures in Georgia still bar anyone from being outside between 21:00 - 6:00 unless one has a special permit. 

The country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili also emphasised that Pozner did not violate the law. “Vladimir Pozner, who is also a US citizen, did not violate the law of occupation. He frequently visits Georgia with his US passport. That was another private visit. He and his guests had the so-called Covid passports and negative PCR test results following the government decree. They entered the country under the law.” However, he condemned the gathering at the Vinotel hotel because the group did not follow the regulations. Garibashvili also blamed the protest on the UNM. “A group of our citizens decided to protest, but the most destructive force, the UNM, used the developments to destroy, sabotage and cause maximum damage to our country, to tarnish the international image of Georgia. When Georgia is working to partly open for tourists, which is crucial for the tourism sector and the economic revival in general, the form of protest chosen by the UNM leaders clearly violated civilised norms and Georgian standards,” he stated. 

The officials in the Kremlin responded by warning the Russian citizens that travel to Georgia was dangerous for them. Asked about the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it condemned what it called aggressive actions by “extremist-minded nationalists.” Peskov thanked the Georgian police for ensuring Pozner’s security and the authorities for condemning the incident.

It should be noted that in 2010, Pozner said that “Georgia lost Abkhazia forever” and the area “will never be Georgia's territory again.” He also blamed Tbilisi for the situation that led to the deadly Russian-Georgian conflict.