Ukraine has carried out its threat to impose entry bans and other punitive measures against the leadership of Georgia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree in Kiev on Thursday that is directed against Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and 18 other politicians.
The move followed a seventh consecutive night of protests against Kobakhidze’s decision to postpone talks on joining the European Union.
Many in Georgia attribute the delay to the influence of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country’s wealthiest individual and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Ukraine, like the opposition in Georgia, suspects that Moscow is influencing the Georgian government’s policy.
“These are sanctions against the part of the government in Georgia that delivers Georgia to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Zelensky said in a statement.
The sanctions list also includes Ivanishvili, along with Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri and Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of the capital Tbilisi.
Any assets they may have in Ukraine will be frozen and they will be banned from economic activity.
Even if the measures are rather symbolic, they mark a deep rift between Ukraine and Georgia. For many years, they were allies in their defence against Moscow’s expansionism.
“We cannot afford to lose anyone in this region – neither Georgia, nor Moldova, nor Ukraine,” said Zelensky. “We must defend ourselves against Moscow together.”
On Wednesday evening, thousands of pro-European Union demonstrators once again protested against the government in Tbilisi. However, unlike on previous evenings, the rally was not broken up by force.
