Georgia, The Lesser Known Ukraine
The Lesser Known Victim of Russian Aggression
Recently, I was watching The Grand Tour. On the episode Sea to Unsalty Sea, the trio drove from Georgia to Azerbaijan in expensive cars. The episode included a trip to a wine spa, Stalin's childhood home, and witnessing a war crime.
During the episode, Clarkson, Hammond and May get misdirected to rural Georgia. Where they witness the quieter war happening between Georgia and Russia.
According to the Georgians, every night, Russian soldiers would push a barbwire barrier further into Georgia. Quietly absorbing more of the country.
In a heartbreaking scene, a Georgian farmer pleads with the three foreigners for help, and all they can do is sit in silence.
This isn't the first time Russia and Georgia have come into conflict. In 2008 Russia and Russian backed groups invaded Georgia. Russians and their proxies fought Georgians in two separate areas, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Long story short, the breakup of the Soviet Union was messy and people did not like where they ended up. There are claims of Russian meddling, and Georgian abuses, and I don't have the knowledge or resources to know what's true.
The war ended in a ceasefire that favored Russia, which Georgia claims Russia broke immediately. Historians and foreign policy analysts claim this war and the West’s reaction boosted Russia’s confidence for Crimea and now Ukraine. The conflict continues to this day as evidenced in Grand Tour and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown.
Georgia isn’t Ukraine. Georgian is a notoriously difficult language to translate into English. The conflict is being waged in rural parts of the country. There is no shocking footage of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, just the slow advance of a fence.
What Russia is doing to these countries is abhorrent. It’s the slow, violent rebuilding of the past. Ukraine isn’t the only victim, and I doubt this will be the last time Russia lashes out.
Hi, I’m Michael Vincent Hawthorne, writer for the Midnight Variety Hour. This is my first article for Substack. Feel free to check out my other pieces and maybe subscribe. Image Source, Grand Tour, Amazon Prime, Sea to Unsalty Sea