Ukraine War Day #452: Bakhmut Falls +Travel Unites Families

Dear Readers:

First a quickie headline that everybody has already heard: Bakhmut fell to the Russians. Yesterday, May 20, exactly one year since the fall of Mariupol. Some coincidence, huh? Even the Russian mainstream press is allowing itself to emit a restrained “hoorah!” According to reporter Anton Antonov, whose parents apparently had no imagination:

The head of the Russian government Vladimir Putin congratulated the Wagner Storm Brigades for the liberation of Artyomovsk, as well as all those military formations which provided them with indispensable assistance in covering the flanks. All of those [soldiers and officers] who distinguished themselves will be awarded medals.

“We done it, boss! All ten of us!”

Next: From War to Peace, with Tolstoy’s blessing…

What If Marco Polo Had A Direct Flight?

The ability to travel, even long distances, in a relatively short amount of time, is one of those modern conveniences which many families appreciate. It helps them to stay in touch and visit with each other.

For this purpose, citing both economic and humanitarian reasons, Russian President Putin, this past May 10, signed a decree that ended the banning of direct air travel between Russia and Gruzia. Immediately travelers took advantage of this lifting of the ban, they took off on flights between Moscow and Tbilisi. From the Russian side: many tourists eager to visit this beautiful Caucasian nation and take advantage of the famous Gruzian hospitality. Also lots of people visiting relatives. In addition to the direct flights, visas were waived; which made the trips even more convenient; basically all people had to do was purchase a ticket and hop on the plane.

The two Russian airlines flying this route are Azimut and Red Wings. In the other direction, the Gruzian company Georgian Airways will fly people from Tbilisi to Moscow. The very first of these flights from Moscow to Tbilisi was booked up within minutes. The airline provided free champagne to the passengers. After the flight landed, some irate customers complained about the rowdiness of certain Russian passengers. Apparently there was a group of adult hooligans, mostly women, who drank too much champagne onboard and turned the flight into a party plane. We all know that type. They go “wooo!” and won’t give any peace to anyone.

The reporter of the linked piece, Dina Karpitskaya interviewed several Russian travelers arriving at the Tbilisi airport on that first party plane. But the people she happened to meet were respectable citizens. Each had a different, but good, reason for taking the flight. For example, one woman was just eager for a vacation. Another Russian woman was visiting family: “My mother is a Gruzian, as is my husband. He is meeting me here today.” On the Gruzian side, people working within the Hospitality Industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.) were eagerly looking forward to servicing Russian tourists again; because the latter bring good money into the country; and the Gruzian economy could use a little boost right now.

Gruzian Opposition not happy about the flights.

Not everybody was happy, though. It is shocking that in this carefree Caucasian land noted for its hospitality and cherishing of guests, some people actually held up signs reading “You are not welcome!” And here we see a difference in opinion between a politician who is responsible for the well-being of his people; vs a NATO plant who answers only to her masters in Washington DC and who serves only American interests.

Namely, the Gruzian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili is happy enough about the direct flights and the non-visa permissions. But his colleague the President, Salome Zurabishvili, is not happy at all. Nor is the pro-Saakashvili political opposition. It makes them sick to their stomachs when they see Russians and Gruzians getting along. They will keep reminding everybody who listens, that “Russia still occupies 20% of our territory.” By which they mean South Ossetia and Abkhazia. None of whose residents want to have anything to do the Kartvelian Nationalists who ran the country into the ground under Saakashvili.

Later it was revealed that the relative of a famous Russian politician was planning to visit Gruzia. The Gruzian Radical Opps went ballistic. The politician in question is none other than Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Here is what reporter Dmitry Alexandrov reported out of Tbilisi:

The chairman of the ruling Gruzian Dream party Irakly Kobakhidze called it “pure xenophobia” and “an outbreak of Liberal fascism” when the Opposition demonstrated in the Eastern city of Kvareli, once they learned that a wedding was to take place involving the brother of the son-in-law (брат зятя) of Sergei Lavrov. “They want to create chaos in our country,” Kobakhidze complained, when he heard about Opps clashing with police to try to disrupt the upcoming nuptials.

Kinship Ties

The city of Kvareli lies 150 km east of Tbilisi. The hotels in that town are abuzz with wedding preparations. The groom: He is the brother of the husband of the daughter of Lavrov. Got that?

Kinship terms are always complicated, and most languages don’t have even enough words to describe all the possible relationships within an extended family. For example, once when I was visiting a branch of my family in Texas, I was introduced to a man who was the cousin of the husband of my sister. What was I supposed to call him, my cousin-in-law?

The Russian word зять (pronounced something like z’at’ with soft palatalized consonants, almost like lisping) can mean either “son-in-law” or “brother-in-law”, depending on the context. If it’s son-in-law, it would be the husband of your daughter. If it’s brother-in-law, it would mean the husband of your sister. Like most Slavic kinship terms, these words have ancient roots going way, way back in time to the Indo-European tribes. The Indo-European root is reconstructed as *ǵenh₁ which would have been pronounced something like gyenKH, and it obviously is the root of such words as “genesis” and “genetic”. Not to mention “genteel” and “gentleman” (“gentle” in the sense of “well-bred”). The basic core/root meaning “to give birth”, also (in various children languages) “seed”, “offspring”, and by extension, some type of kinship. Although the semantics eludes me, when we are talking about people not genetically related, like in-laws. But whatever… I reckon the thinking behind it was something like, “He married into the family, so he’s one of us now, like our own offspring.”

In any case, it cannot be said that, whatever happens in Gruzia, Lavrov will become his own grandpa; because that would just be wrong.

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