'We will fight until we win': Can Georgia escape Russia’s influence?

For weeks, thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets, demanding a future free from Moscow’s influence. But as the country stands at a crossroads, the divide widens between those who see Georgia’s future in the European Union and those who believe its best path lies in maintaining ties with Russia.

As night falls over Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, the streets fill with young protesters waving hundreds of flags. Among the European, Georgian, Ukrainian and even German colours, a chant echoes through the city: "Fire to the oligarchy!". It’s a chilly Saturday night, and protesters march through the same streets they’ve walked through every day since November – from Europe Square to Rustaveli Avenue, blocking essential streets to show they will not back down.

A generation at odds

For 31-year-old Rati, the fight is existential. Pulling a black mask over his face as we approach the evening’s protest, he tells us: "I had to cover up my face because our government put lots of cameras around. We're getting recognised on the videos."

Rati represents a new wave of young Georgians who see EU membership as a chance to secure democracy, economic growth and an escape from Russia’s political shadow. But not everyone agrees. 

Nino, 29, a Russian-born Georgian, believes that the country should remain neutral. "The younger generation is not doing politics. They just stay in the streets and move someone else's agenda. I think they’re somehow delusional".

The echoes of 2008

Growing up with a Russian mother and Georgian father, Nino remembers the day she started questioning her identity. "When I woke up in the morning I fell over the bed because there was a blow up by our house. I asked: Mom, what's going on? She said: The war has started. I wondered with whom, and she said: Russia. And I couldn't believe it because I grew up feeling Russian and Georgian. It's hard for a child to accept such a reality."

Nino is referring to the August of 2008, when Russian forces invaded Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The fighting ended after five days, and the territories have since remained occupied by Russia, which effectively controls over 20% of Georgian territory. 

To Rati, the ongoing occupation echoes the first stages of a similar strategy the Kremlin used in Ukraine, which culminated in the full scale invasion of 2022. Determined not to bow to Russia’s influence, he believes that European integration is the only alternative to being swallowed up by Russia. 

On the other hand, some Georgians fear that if the country moves closer to the EU and NATO, history could repeat itself.

The cost of resistance

In November of 2024, the Georgian Dream party won the Parliamentary elections, which came under international scrutiny due to the many allegations of interference and irregularities. The European Parliament deemed the elections as "another manifestation of the continued democratic backsliding of the country, for which the ruling Georgian Dream party is fully responsible". 

To counter the European Parliament’s call for new elections, the party decided to block talks of EU integration until 2028, which sparked a wave of protests that is still ongoing. This is the third wave of mass demonstrations in support of European integration and freedom of expression since 2023.

Protests in Tbilisi have been met with brutal police crackdowns. Rati was beaten by more than a dozen police officers, who broke his nose and inflicted wounds all over his body, but despite the repression, the movement shows no sign of slowing down. "I had a concussion, so I stayed at home for about 12 days. My wife was going to the protest every day. And after the 12 days, I continued going out as well," he says. "Today I'm going to the protest."

What’s next for Georgia?

With almost 90% of Georgia’s citizens supporting European integration, the push towards Europe has never been this powerful. But will this be enough to overcome Russia's growing influence?

For Nino, it’s worth taking a step back to keep the peace: "My dream for this country is that Georgians come to peace with one another and never harm each other, just to be good for someone else from abroad," she says before smiling and adding: "That's it. That’s what I want".

But as Rati and thousands of others continue their fight, one thing is certain: the battle for Georgia’s future is far from over.