The fifth President of Georgia commented on the authorities’ decision to close the airspace over the Abastumani resort, a move many critics have linked to the personal interests of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. Writing on the social media platform X, Salome Zourabichvili stated:
“Dictatorship in Georgia is even surpassing the Russian model. Ivanishvili is closing international airspace within a 50-kilometer radius over one of his residences in southern Georgia…
Is it fear, megalomania, or… the time of this regime is coming to an end!” Zourabichvili wrote.
As a reminder, the Georgian government has decided to partially close the airspace over Abastumani—a resort town and home to an astrophysical observatory. The new “Abastumani-2” zone, with a diameter of approximately 52 km, covers an area of about 2,000 sq. km. Officially, the restrictions are justified by the need to ensure clear skies for astronomical observations.