Tbilisi’s Lipstick Girl On Today’s Elections In Georgia
The country of Georgia has parliamentary elections today, facing a choice between EU alignment and Russian influence.
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21 year old Ana Minadze never told her parents she was protesting.
They figured it out the hard way.
“My parents found out about my activism on TV," she recalled, laughing out loud.
Minadze had, in a single instant, become an international symbol of young Georgians’ defiance against Russian influence.
She had simply made an everyday gesture: applying her lipstick.
It just so happened that the mirror she was using to apply it was a riot shield.
Georgia, a country in the Caucasus with 20 percent of its territory occupied by the Russians, lives in a tense atmosphere. The streets of Tbilisi, its capital, are full of cops. The billboards are full of political ads. And everyone is talking about it in the street and in the cafés.
Amid fears of Russian interference, young activists like Ana Minadze symbolize the fight for democracy, underscoring the high stakes as Georgia’s future hangs in the balance.
The parliamentary elections today are seen as a major turning point for the future of Georgia, marking a decisive choice between the European Union and Russia. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which has strengthened its ties with Moscow since 2022, is hoping to win a fourth term in office.
On the other hand, the pro-European opposition is mobilizing civil society and aspiring to rapid integration into the EU.
Despite the country's status as an official candidate for EU membership since December 2023, the government's authoritarian excesses threaten rapprochement with Europe. A controversial Foreign Agent Bill, modeled on Russian legislation, aims to crack down on independent media and NGOs.
Earlier this week, officials from the Investigative Service of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance raided the homes of two staff members of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab in Tbilisi, confiscating their electronic devices.
Many activists and journalists are victims of intimidation and attacks, perpetrated by groups linked to the state with total impunity.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidzé insists on the need to block the so-called ‘Ukrainisation’ of the country – by this he means that he believes the West is trying to provoke Putin, as if he needs a reason, to further attack Georgia.
Meanwhile, the opposition warns of a drift towards authoritarianism.
Ana Minadze’s lipstick photo has since been adopted as a visual metaphor for the resistance of young Georgians. She sees it as an extension of her activism.
“At 16, I knew that politics was my true passion. I used to say my dream was to become the first woman president of Georgia.” she said. “In 2019, when I saw on TV that Russian politicians were speaking in the Georgian Parliament, I just couldn’t stay at home in peace… Today, the same motivation drives me. Georgia will never become Russia.”
Despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Georgians seem willing to support a government friendly with Putin, as if by appeasement they can avoid his ill intentions.
“We have a pro-Russian government, who are advancing Vladimir Putin's interests… Twenty percent of our land is occupied by Russia, and yet the leader of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, says we need to apologize to the people who killed our citizens and took our territories during the Georgian war of 2008… That’s unacceptable,” Ana said.
“The parallels with Ukraine are obvious. We’re fighting the same enemy: Russia,” she noted. “It’s a bit like the ‘evil big brother’ we unfortunately have in common.” she said.
Echoing the long-standing common frustrations of many Georgians and Ukrainians, she added: “We’ve had the same demands for the past 20 years—whether during the Rose Revolution or Ukraine’s Euromaidan.”
“That's what we're fighting for: For a Georgia free from Russian influence,” she said.
The iconic image happened on April 16th last year, during the first demonstrations against the ‘Foreign Agents Bill.’ The demonstrations, which had begun peacefully, degenerated into what Ana now calls a “night of guerrilla warfare”.
“It was chaos, there was tear gas, rubber bullets and the riot police were advancing all the time,” she recalled.
In a brief lull from the chaos, Ana found herself searching for her friends.
“Where else would they be?” she said with a knowing smile. “Of course, they were on the front line against the police.”
She turned to a friend and asked for lipstick she had on hand.
“I looked awful,” she said with a laugh.
In the middle of the protests, Ana stood before a riot shield, her reflection catching in the surface, and applied the lipstick.
“I wanted to show that I was unafraid of the people who could gas us, shoot us, or beat us. I stood there and did what I wanted, without fear.” she said. “I want my children to see this photo, and say to them, you live in European Georgia now. You study in European Georgia. You have a better life than I did because we fought for it.”
What could have been a fleeting moment now stands as a reminder that resistance takes many forms, even in small acts of reclaiming dignity. Symbolism has always been a core part of protest. Georgia’s youth are at the forefront of this resistance against the Russian interests, driven by an acute awareness of what is at stake.
“We’ve been in Europe, we’ve been in America — we know what the Western world is, and we know what Russia is,” she explained. “We see the difference. In education, in life, in economics — in everything. Every single person standing at these demonstrations knows exactly why they’re there.”
With parliamentary elections today, concerns about Russian interference are mounting. On February 27, 2024, President Salome Zourabichvili warned of cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, underscoring the Kremlin’s use of hybrid warfare to destabilize Georgia.
This is not a new challenge for the country. Since 2017, the country’s Strategic Defense Review has identified Russian ‘soft power’ as a major security threat. Moscow leverages disinformation and economic pressure to maintain influence, and the stakes are particularly high as Russian businesses and immigrants increase their footprint in the country.
Romain Le Quiniou, director of Euro Creative — a think tank specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus — explains the interconnected nature of elections in this region.
“All elections in these key states that oscillate between autocracy and the West are linked,” Le Quiniou said. “Right now, Russia is more transparent than ever about manipulating elections. We’ve seen it in Moldova, and now we’re seeing it in Georgia.”
As Georgia approaches a pivotal electoral moment, the stakes extend beyond national borders, mirroring broader geopolitical shifts in Caucasus and Eastern Europe.
Whether it’s a lipstick on a police shield or the votes cast on election day, Georgia’s fight remains a critical battleground in the contest between democracy and Russian influence.
“What’s next after the elections?” asked Ana. “For now, what we’re doing is protecting the votes as much as possible so they don’t falsify the results… This generation was born in independent Georgia. This generation — my generation — will decide its future.”
NEWS OF THE DAY:
RUSSIAN ASSETS TO FUND UKRAINE: The G7 has agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, funded by proceeds from Russia's frozen assets abroad. This financial support will be used for Ukraine's economic, defense, and reconstruction needs.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, almost $300 billion in Russian assets, including reserves held by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, were frozen under sanctions. Since the majority of the assets were kept in the EU countries, the West will access the funds' annual income to back up Ukraine. The G7 plans to keep Moscow’s assets frozen even after the end of the war.
RUSSIA MAY EXPAND AID TO HOUTHIS: If the U.S. permits Ukraine to launch long-range missiles deep into Russian territory, Moscow will escalate its help for America’s enemies, U.S. intelligence warned.
Here’s how they predict Russia will escalate: by providing advanced missiles and targeting information to Yemeni rebels to strike the U.S. Navy in the Red Sea.
So far, Russia has supplied the Houthis, Iran’s proxy forces, with small arms and other limited assistance. Consequently, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have driven up shipping costs, making the fight against them one of the most intense combat deployments for the U.S. Navy in the region.
UKRAINE DENIES GUTERRES A VISIT: President Zelenskyy declined a visit request from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after he attended the BRICS summit in Russia. Ukrainian officials criticized Guterres's participation in the largest diplomatic event Russia has hosted since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The UN, however, stated that Guterres traveled to Russia to discuss issues related to the war in Ukraine and Black Sea navigation freedom. The organization emphasized that any contacts with individuals under ICC investigation are conducted "strictly on the basis of operational necessity."
INTERPRETERS FOR N.KOREAN TROOPS: For effective coordination, the Russian command plans to assign one translator and three Russian servicemen to every group of 30 DPRK soldiers, Ukrainian intelligence reported. According to HUR, approximately 12,000 North Korean military personnel have been deployed to Russia, including 500 officers and 3 generals from Pyongyang. DPRK troops are expected to enter the combat zone on later this month.
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DOG OF WAR:
Today we have two cute dogs of war that Mariana spotted on her way back home.
Stay safe out there.
Best,
Mariana
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Sending respect for the brave Georgians. The young lady's comment "as if by appeasement they can avoid his ill intentions" sounded very familiar. We see this happening in the US as GOP apologists excuse both putin and trump. Look at the recent cowardice from WaPo.
Regarding putin supplying weapons to the Houthis, I stand once again stunned by putin's disregard for peace and stability. He forces the West to be constantly on the defensive and responsible for avoiding WWIII. The angel on my right shoulder says "Be patient and wise". The devil on the left says "Nuke Moscow".
Much appreciated post. It shows the lengths Georgians (and Moldovans too) will go to mitigate Russian influence and embrace EU principles. It’s a tough and long fight but necessary for an independent Georgia. Like Ukraine they must be never give up.