"I understand that my days here are numbered," said Evgenii Zhukov, the last remaining founder of Emigration for Action still in the country. He spoke from the group's small office in Tbilisi that overflows with blister packs of medication and other supplies he and volunteers give out to Ukrainians. "This was an overwhelming experience, diving back into Russia all over again."
The change is especially stark in the offices of the Emigration for Action nonprofit, started by Russian émigrés to help Ukrainian refugees in Georgia. Of the six founders, only one remains in the country; the rest have left or have been barred from Georgia.
As the war in Ukraine has progressed, the ruling Georgian Dream party has pivoted toward Moscow and started a crackdown of its own in ways that were all too familiar to the Russian political émigrés who once saw it as a place of safety.
For Russians, Georgia was a popular destination due to its proximity and visa-free access, though every year they, like most foreigners living there, must leave the country and return to reset the clock on their legal stay.
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