History of Russian - Georgian Relations

Russia is a transcontinental country extending over much of northern Eurasia. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, and spanning 11 time zones. Russia is the largest country in the world (17,075,400 square kilometers). The ancestors of modern Russians are the East Slavic tribes. The Slavic peoples are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples. From the 7th century, the East Slavs assimilated the native Finno-Ugric tribes. Around 63 % of Russian population identify themselves with the Orthodox Christianity most of whom belong to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region. The territory of Georgia covers 69,700 square kilometres. It is bordered to the north by the Russian Federation, to the east by Azerbaijan, to the west across the Black Sea by Ukraine, to the south by Armenia and to the southwest by Turkey. According to legend, the ancestor of the Kartvelian people was Kartlos, the great grandson of the Biblical Japheth. But, even in the bible, makes mention of Tubal-cain (Cain descendent), who is associated with caucasian tribes, include Georgian. Today most of the population practices Orthodox Christianity of the Georgian Orthodox Church (81.9%).

In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, according to which the eastern Georgian received protection by Russia. In this period, Russian troops intermittently occupied parts of Georgia. In 1801 Tsar Alexander I summarily abolished the kingdom of Georgia,because of its weak position. Then, in 1811, the Georgian Orthodox Church lost its autocephalous status. The Church in Georgia was absorbed into the Synodal Church of Russia. In the second half of the nineteenth century,Russification intensified. Georgia became a vassal to Russia in exchange for protection from the Turks and Persians.

In 1917, Georgia joined Azerbaijan and Armenia, to establish the anti-Bolshevik Transcaucasian Federation and on its dissolution in 1918 proclaimed its independence. But, unfortunelly In February 1921 Georgia was attacked by the Red Army. Then,In 1922, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan were annexed by the USSR. Stalin, The Georgian-born communist radical was to rise to the highest position of the Soviet state. Abkhazia is a region in Georgia. In the early days of the Soviet Union it was a separate union republic with a status similar to that of Georgia before Stalin. But, Stalin eliminated Abkhazia's statehood and brought the republic into Georgia.

Before the collapse of the USSR, Georgia declared independence in April 9, 1991. But, in 1992 the Abkhaz ethnic group in this region led to the declaration of independence from Georgia. Another region in Georgia, that is South Ossetia, also declared independence as the Republic of South Ossetia early in the 1990s. Two-thirds of the population of South Ossetia was Ossetian and 25-30% was Georgian. Violent conflict broke out in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia, which had provided support to the separatists and acted as a peacekeeper in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. As we know, during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict of 1991-1993, Between 10,000 to 30,000 Georgians (does not include the numbers of missing, wounded and tortured people) were killed by the Abkhaz separatists, foreign mercenaries, and, allegedly, by Russian Federation forces. Now,in 2008 Russia threatens to respond to defend South Ossetians against "a genocide by Georgian forces". On 8 August 2008, Russia moved its troops across the Georgian border, bringing ground forces into South Ossetia and Abkhazia and launching airstrikes on targets elsewhere in the country.