The first flight from Russia to Georgia in four years landed Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted a 2019 travel ban on the South Caucasus nation on May 10 and simultaneously allowed Georgians to enter the country without a visa. The ban's undoing comes in the midst of Russian forces retreating from Bakhmut, Ukraine, and further restrictive measures dolled out against Russia by the European Union.

The Azimuth Airlines flight was not met with a warm welcome, as protesters met the plane at Tbilisi International Airport with signs and the flags of Georgia and Ukraine. President Salome Zourabichvili referred to Putin lifting the ban as a "provocation."

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"This is a completely unacceptable and inappropriate time. We do not need gifts from Russia, masked as some kind of a concession. In today's situation, we are on the same side as all our European friends!" Zourabichvili said the day the ban ended. She went on to comment on the day the plane landed: "Despite the opposition of the Georgian people, Russia has landed its unwelcome flight in Tbilisi."

Travelers on the plane reportedly included pro-Russia activists, including the chairman of the Solidarity For Peace organization, Merab Chikashvili; the director of the Georgian-Russian Public Center, Dmitry Lortkipanidze; and the head of the Georgian-Russian Friendship Center, Valery Kvaratskhelia.

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Russia has exercised effective control over Georgia's region of South Ossetia since fighting a brief war with Georgia in 2008. Most of the world considers the region to be a part of Georgia, but a few countries, including Russia, view it as an independent state. Last year the region's government voted to join Russia.

Many European countries still have active travel bans to Russia. The United States has also implemented a level four travel ban.