Ukraine announced sanctions against Georgia Airways and its chairman Tamaz Gaiashvili following the airlines’ resumption of direct flights to Russia in May.
In May, Georgia Airways resumed its Tbilisi to Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport (VKO) route to provide a more direct connection for people traveling to and from Europe and Russia. Further the airline announced a visa-free trip to Russia for up to 90 days for Georgian citizen, lifting the ban imposed in 2019.
Russian airline Azimuth has been the only carrier to resume flights to Georgia while leisure airlines Red Wings has applied for three direct services from Moscow, Kazan and Samara to Tbilisi
Following the announcement of flights resuming, the country's President, Salome Zourabichvili, called for a boycott of Georgian Airways and reaffirmed the nation's ongoing commitment to peace in the region.