May 25, 2023

Georgians: "Stop The Wedding!"


Georgians: "Stop The Wedding!"
Police outside Kvareli Lake Resort in Georgia. NEWSGEORGIA / Новости-Грузия, Telegram.

On May 19, Yekaterina, daughter of Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, and her husband, businessman Aleksander Vinokurov, attended a relative's wedding at a resort in Georgia. After finding out on local TV that she was in the country, activists protested outside her hotel. A dozen people were arrested.

Shortly after the local TV station Mtavari TV revealed the Vinokurovs were in Georgia, there was confusion over whether Lavrov's relatives were still at the resort when protesters arrived. Representatives of the luxury Kvareli Lake Resort vehemently denied the couple was ever there. Yet Georgian opposition leader Nika Melia, confirmed that the Vinokurovs had been at Kvareli. Melia expressed outrage that the Russian Foreign Minister's daughter was in the country since "[Lavrov is] the author of the bloodshed that happened [during Russia's invasion of Georgia] in 2008." 

Mtavari TV later reported that, by the time they covered the story, the EU and US-sanctioned couple were no longer in the country and had secretly left for Saudi Arabia.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of Georgian Dream, the ruling party in the country's parliament, condemned the protests and called them "xenophobic." Meanwhile, the president, Salomé Zurabishvili, who won the presidency as an independent candidate, called the couple's departure and the later cancellation of the wedding "a victory for society."

 

 

You Might Also Like

Flagpole Ripper
  • April 13, 2023

Flagpole Ripper

A man was arrested for tearing down a Russian flag at a police department.
A Sanctioned Flight
  • April 10, 2023

A Sanctioned Flight

Journalists discovered a scheme in which a Russian entrepreneur bought planes in the EU, bypassing sanctions.
Dubai is the New Vologda
  • January 17, 2023

Dubai is the New Vologda

A United Russia legislator pretended to be in Vologda but was actually in Dubai. A picture with Ksenia Shoigu gave him away.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955