The Astoria Grande cruise ship, carrying some 800 passengers including Russians, was forced to leave the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on July 27 upon arriving there the same day from the Russia port of Sochi, after groups of Georgians protested its presence there. The protests in Batumi and in the capital, Tbilisi, broke out after some Russian tourists on the ship told Georgian media that they supported Russia's 2008 war against Georgia and that Moscow had "liberated" Abkhazia, the breakaway region Georgia lost control of during the conflict. Protesters burned the Russian flag and unfurled banners with anti-Russian slogans. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus, click here.
Cruise Ship With Russian Tourists Leaves Georgian Port Amid Public Protests
Demonstrators protest the presence of a cruise ship carrying Russian passengers in the Georgian port of Batumi on July 27