Georgia's stance sparks pride and fear

By Matthew Collin
BBC News, Tblisi

Relations between the two ex-Soviet neighbours have plummeted

Police officers still encircle Russia's military headquarters in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi - the centre of the spy row that erupted this week between the two countries.

But most people stroll by nonchalantly or stand waiting for buses, almost oblivious to their presence.

The tension is being expressed elsewhere, as politicians on both sides trade accusations across every news bulletin on Georgian television.

Here in Tbilisi, there has not been much sympathy expressed for the detained Russian military intelligence officers.

Western integration

There is a certain level of public support for the Georgian government's action to break what it has called a dangerous spy ring.

Some suspect - as President Mikhail Saakashvili has often alleged - that Moscow is trying to destabilise Georgia both politically and economically, to punish it for seeking closer integration with the West.

Media war escalates

But many do fear the potentially harsh reaction from Moscow to the continued detention of the Russian officers, as Georgia refuses to back down under pressure from its huge neighbour.

They worry about the situation escalating into military confrontation - and about its possible impact on their livelihoods.

Those wanting to travel to Russia can no longer get visas; the Russian embassy in Tbilisi stopped issuing them after the spy row broke out.

Those with relatives or friends who are living or working in Russia wonder if they will face reprisals there.

Some also have concerns about the potential impact on Georgian energy supplies from Russia.

They remember the last winter, when an energy crisis caused by a gas pipeline explosion cut supplies and left some people freezing. Georgia blamed Russia then, too.

The arrests of the alleged Russian spies could boost the government's popularity, and a few have speculated whether the timing is just a coincidence.

It comes in the week before local elections in Georgia, which will be a critical test for President Saakashvili's party - an indication of how much support there is for his reformist agenda.

Breaking point

With election campaigning underway, some opposition politicians have questioned the government's motives in arresting the Russians - particularly as it comes only a few weeks after another high-profile series of arrests, when suspected coup plotters were detained across Georgia.

Some raised questions then whether it was simply a populist show of strength.

However, others in the opposition have offered their support to President Saakashvili and his defiant stance. One said that what he called "Russian aggression" was directed not at the government and its policies, but at each and every Georgian.

He said that in times of danger, the Georgian people should stand together.

However, most people do agree that tension with Russia has reached its highest point.

One newspaper columnist in Georgia summed up the situation succinctly: he wrote that just when you think that relations between Georgia and Russia can't get any worse, they suddenly do.