Russia’s Wine Threat Drives Georgian Currency to Weakest Ever
Workers harvest grapes at a vineyard near the village of Vachnadziani, Georgia, in 2018.
Photographer: Vano Shlamov/AFP/Getty Images
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Georgia’s lari hit a record low on Tuesday as relations between the tiny Caucasus nation and Russia took a turn for the worse.
Russia has targeted Georgia’s wine exports and banned flights to the region in recent days, threatening two key sources of the former soviet Republic’s revenue. Ties between the two nations have been on a knife edge since they fought a brief war in 2008. The latest protests in the capital Tbilisi erupted last week over Moscow’s perceived influence in the country.