Russia suspends flights to Georgia after violent clashes
Vladimir Putin signed the decree - which will be implemented from 8 July
![Russia suspends flights to Georgia after violent clashes](https://www.tbsnews.net/sites/default/files/styles/big_2/public/images/2019/06/22/aeroflot-tbs.jpg)
President Vladimir Putin has temporarily banned Russian airlines from flying to Georgia following a spate of violent unrest in the country.
He signed the decree - which will be implemented from 8 July - on Friday.
It came after some 240 people were hurt a day earlier in protests that were ignited by the appearance of a Russian MP in Georgia's parliament.
Tensions between the countries remain high, 11 years after they fought a war over the region of South Ossetia.
Moscow will also recommend that Russian travel agencies suspend all tours to neighbouring Georgia.
Sergei Gavrilov, the Russian MP who sparked the fury on Thursday, addressed an assembly of MPs from Orthodox Christian nations.
But protesters stormed the parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, and police used rubber bullets and tear gas in an attempt to disperse them.
The speaker of Georgia's parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze, has resigned following the violence. He faced a fierce backlash for inviting Mr Gavrilov to give the speech.
Why are there tensions between Georgia and Russia?
When Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, separatist conflicts erupted in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
In August 2008, Georgia attempted to recapture South Ossetia. Russia poured troops in, ousting Georgian forces and only halting the advance within striking distance of Tbilisi.
Following a ceasefire, Russia withdrew most of its troops from undisputed parts of Georgia but still maintains a military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, recognising both as "independent" states.
Since then, diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia remain clouded by mutual suspicion. To the ire of Moscow, Georgia has ambitions to join the European Union and Nato. But bilateral trade and tourism have been growing in recent years.