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- Locals jeered at Russian passengers on a cruise ship in Batumi, Georgia, on two occasions.
- The ship departed earlier than scheduled on Thursday and later returned to the port on Monday.
- Georgia has long had tension with Russia about disputed territory and opposition to the Ukraine war.
A cruise ship with Russian passengers docked in Batumi, Georgia, was met with jeers from locals who were protesting the Ukraine war and the disputed territories occupied by Russia.
The cruise ship Astoria Grande was met with a large protesting crowd when it docked in the Georgian port of Batumi on Thursday and Monday, according to various media reports, including the local outlet Georgia Today.
On July 27, the ship was forced to leave Batumi earlier than intended after the protests broke out, Radio Free Europe and Meduza reported. The ship's original departure schedule is unclear.
Videos shared by Twitter users on Monday captured chaotic scenes of protesters in Georgia heckling the cruise ship after it arrived for the second time in five days.
Helen Khoshtaria, a Twitter user who identifies as a human-rights activist, posted a video on Monday that received more than 39,000 views: "The protest in Batumi continues for about 20th hour now, with more people joining. It will only stop when the Russian cruise ship leaves, hopefully earlier than scheduled."
—Helen Khoshtaria (@Helenkhosh) July 31, 2023
The local media outlet Formula News tweeted a video of protesters on Monday: "Protesters condemn the arrival of Russian cruise ship carrying pop stars and journalists supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the Georgian port city of Batumi."
—Formula NEWS | English (@FormulaGe) July 31, 2023
A Twitter user called @KShoshiashvili shared pictures of protesters' signs on Monday, with one reading: "We choose Europe, not Russia."
—Katie Shoshiashvili (@KShoshiashvili) July 31, 2023
The cruise's Turkish operator, Miray Cruises, told the Russian media outlet RBC that it had no further stops planned for Batumi. Insider could not independently verify the ship's docking schedule.
In response to last Thursday's protests, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said: "Proud of our people protesting peacefully the latest russian provocation — a Russian cruise liner visiting the Georgian port of Batumi while Putin blocks grain shipments and hinders free navigation in the Black Sea."
Zourabichvili was seemingly referring to Russia axing the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal that expired on July 17. The deal previously allowed food to be shipped from Ukrainian ports despite a Russian blockade.
A March survey by the International Republican Institute found that Georgians remained sharply opposed to Russian foreign policy. Only 4% of Georgians surveyed said that Russians were welcome in their country after the invasion of Ukraine, and 76% said that Russian aggression against Georgia was still ongoing.
The Republic of Georgia exited the Soviet Union in 1991 and has been involved in a frozen conflict with pro-Russia forces about the disputed territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, culminating in Russian occupation of a significant part of Georgian territory in 2008, per the BBC.
Georgia's internal-affairs ministry told Insider on Tuesday that 23 people were arrested in connection with the protests. Miray Cruises did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
August 1, 4:51 p.m.: The story has been updated to include a comment from Georgia's internal-affairs ministry.