Armenia Now writes more on fears that Russia’s blockade of Georgia will affect us here in Armenia. Interestingly, despite a deep-rooted dislike of Georgians among many Armenians, there are some more moderate voices quoted in Armenia Now’s article — from both sides of the political divide.

“I think that this is not the first case when Russia ignores Armenia’s interests in settling its relations with Georgia. Probably we are supposed to show an approach with understanding, but I, for example, don’t have this understanding, because in fact it turns out that Russia – our strategic partner, willy-nilly joins the blockade of Armenia,” Deputy Parliament Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan says.

Nevertheless, Hovhannisyan gives assurances that such indelicacy cannot be an occasion for revising relations between Armenia and Russia.

“Economic losses for Armenia in this situation are obvious, since as a result of the clumsy policies of the authorities our dependence on Russia is very great – gas, roads, export-import issues,” says political analyst Suren Surenyants.

According to Surenyants, in this situation the positive shift will be that authorities might come to understand Armenia’s vulnerability from relying too heavily on Russia for political-economic partnership.

“Georgia is defending its territorial integrity, and Russia is trying to impose sanctions against Georgia,” Surenyants says. “In this situation Armenia suffers greatly. Nevertheless, taking into consideration this destructive policy of Russia, the countries of the South Caucasus will eventually understand that there is no alternative to regional cooperation and a common security system and that a different approach is needed.”

Meanwhile, the BBC reports of some more alarming anti-Georgian measures implemented at the State level by Russia.

Russia has ordered a crackdown on Georgian-owned businesses and tighter visa measures as part of the nations’ escalating diplomatic dispute.

[…]

Russia’s migration service said on Thursday that the suspension of visas to Georgians would be extended, and that 180-day visas held by Georgians already in Russia would be cut to 90 days.

Russian parliamentarians are also expected to examine a bill this week that would prevent Georgians living in Russia from making bank transfers to relatives back home.

Estimates vary but it is believed that at least one million Georgians currently live in Russia. Many Georgian families depend on the remittances they send home.

Meanwhile, some Russian schools in Georgia have refused to admit their Georgian pupils, reportedly under orders from Moscow.

The BBC also reports that Georgians have already been deported from Russia, and Tbilisi is now accusing Moscow of “ethnic cleansing.”

Russia’s treatment of Georgians during the diplomatic spat between the two countries is a “mild form of ethnic cleansing”, Georgia has said.

Russia has closed transport and postal links with Georgia, raided businesses, imposed visa restrictions and deported 132 Georgians since the dispute began.

The sanctions were imposed after Georgia arrested four Russians on spying charges last month.

[…]

Georgia’s foreign minister Gela Bezhuashvili told reporters in Tbilisi that Russia’s actions would backfire.

“This is not only xenophobia, this is a mild form of ethnic cleansing,” he said.

[…]

Russian media reports that Moscow’s police have asked schools to draw up lists of pupils with Georgian surnames as part of their search for illegal immigrants.

Alexander Gavrilov, a spokesman for the Moscow education department, said some schools had received the request, which he criticised.

But a Russian interior ministry spokesman denied the request had been made.

There’s also an interesting insight into how the crisis has affected Georgians living in Russia. The BBC says there are 500,000 Georgians living in Russia who, like Armenians, send money back home to their families.

Khatuna Dadiani is one of the estimated half a million Georgians living in Russia, who send money home to support family members.

As of today she faces two new problems - how to wire money to Tbilisi, and how to get to Georgia if she wants or needs to visit.

But Russia’s economic sanctions against Georgia strike her as more ridiculous than anything else.

“Of course there will be ways round them,” she says.

“The worrying thing is that attitudes towards Georgians are changing so fast here - it’s getting worse and worse.”

Khatuna’s husband, who has his own construction company, is investigating the possibility of sending money to Georgia via foreign banks in Moscow, rather than Russian banks.

The solution to the travel problem would be to fly via Ukraine or Armenia - a minor inconvenience.

But what worries her most is what she perceives as a changing attitude towards Georgians in Russian society as a whole. It is getting worse “exponentially”, she says.

She worries for the safety of her daughter, who travels on public transport every day to an institute, where she studies modern languages.

“Georgians in Russia are quietly selling their businesses and going away,” she says.

Her husband, who has lived in Russia most of his life, used to laugh at the idea, but he has now begun to consider it, she adds.

In an ideal world they would return to Abkhazia but, that being impossible, they have discussed going further afield, to Spain or Italy perhaps.

“[The comedian, Mikhail] Zhvanetsky said on television recently that the biggest achievement of Russian democracy is that anyone can go away,” says Khatuna.

“He is absolutely right.”