Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, plays the piano in the lobby of Pino Vere Palace Hotel, where he works as a receptionist in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 23, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetove SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, contemplates the city centre at the viewpoint near Narikala fortress in Tbilisi, Georgia, January 6, 2023. Antropov fled his country after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two to boost the military campaign in Ukraine. "We were driven to the border on country roads, bribing police officers, and then walked more than 10 km up a mountain," he said. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, carries his backpack as he moves to his new apartment from the hostel he was temporarily staying at in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 27, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, chats with his friends in their newly rented apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 27, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Musicians play during the first rehearsal with the small symphonic orchestra of fellow Russian musicians that Alexei Antropov, 29, is trying to build in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 26, 2022. Antropov is keeping his passion alive and has gathered a small group of classical musicians with a view to performing in Tbilisi and possibly Yerevan, the capital of neighbouring Armenia. "I do not have an orchestra now," Antropov told Reuters. "So I am building my own." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

A taxi driver helps Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, to take out his double bass from the car in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 26, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Musicians play during the first rehearsal with the small symphonic orchestra of fellow Russian musicians that Alexei Antropov, 29, is trying to build in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 26, 2022. Antropov is keeping his passion alive and has gathered a small group of classical musicians with a view to performing in Tbilisi and possibly Yerevan, the capital of neighbouring Armenia. "I do not have an orchestra now," Antropov told Reuters. "So I am building my own." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A viola sits in its case before the first rehearsal with the small symphonic orchestra of Russian musicians that Alexei Antropov, 29, is trying to build in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 26, 2022. Antropov is keeping his passion alive and has gathered a small group of classical musicians with a view to performing in Tbilisi and possibly Yerevan, the capital of neighbouring Armenia. "I do not have an orchestra now," Antropov told Reuters. "So I am building my own." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A musician plays clarinet before the first rehearsal with the small symphonic orchestra that Alexei Antropov, a fellow musician from Moscow,  is trying to build in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 26, 2022. Antropov, 29, is keeping his passion alive and has gathered a small group of classical musicians from Russia with a view to performing in Tbilisi and possibly Yerevan, the capital of neighbouring Armenia. "I do not have an orchestra now," Antropov told Reuters. "So I am building my own." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, looks at his phone in the subway of Tbilisi, Georgia, December 24, 2022. Antropov fled his country after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two to boost the military campaign in Ukraine. "We were driven to the border on country roads, bribing police officers, and then walked more than 10 km up a mountain," he said. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, gathers his clothes and belongings as he prepares to leave the hostel he was temporarily staying to his new rented apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 24, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, descends into the subway of Tbilisi, Georgia, December 24, 2022. Antropov fled his country after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two to boost the military campaign in Ukraine. "We were driven to the border on country roads, bribing police officers, and then walked more than 10 km up a mountain," he said. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, picks up the plastic chairs he purchased for the first rehearsal of the small symphonic orchestra he is trying to build, at a local market in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 24, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, eats lunch in the hostel he was temporarily staying at in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 24, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, walks around the hostel he was temporarily staying at in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 24, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Alexei Antropov, 29, a classical double bassist from Moscow, checks a room before guests arrive at Pino Vere Palace Hotel, where he works, in Tbilisi, Georgia, December 23, 2022. Antropov is embarking on a new life abroad, initially living in a cheap hostel on the outskirts of Tbilisi before moving into an apartment with a friend and holding down a modest job and hopes to buy a property in Tbilisi one day. "I need a home - a place where I can come back. And I hope Tbilisi will become such a home for me. It is a beautiful city." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Grigory Dobrynin, 38, who is the drummer of the Russian band SBPCh, poses for a portrait in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 25, 2022. Dobrynin now spends much of his time teaching and playing the drums at Practica, a rehearsal space in Tbilisi that organisers designed as a meeting place for musicians from Georgia and abroad. "I don't consider teaching to be a step backwards for me. Teaching and playing in a band are just different things they cannot be compared," he said. "(But) to be honest, I really miss the gigs and the concerts. It's a big loss for me." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A drum key is seen hanging around Grigory Dobrynin's neck in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 25, 2022. Dobrynin, 38, who is the drummer of the Russian band SBPCh, now spends much of his time teaching and playing the drums at Practica, a rehearsal space in Tbilisi that organisers designed as a meeting place for musicians from Georgia and abroad. "I don't consider teaching to be a step backwards for me. Teaching and playing in a band are just different things they cannot be compared," he said. "(But) to be honest, I really miss the gigs and the concerts. It's a big loss for me." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Grigory Dobrynin, 38, who is the drummer of the Russian band SBPCh, 38, looks at books at a street vendor in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 25, 2022. Dobrynin now spends much of his time teaching and playing the drums at Practica, a rehearsal space in Tbilisi that organisers designed as a meeting place for musicians from Georgia and abroad. "I don't consider teaching to be a step backwards for me. Teaching and playing in a band are just different things they cannot be compared," he said. "(But) to be honest, I really miss the gigs and the concerts. It's a big loss for me." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Grigory Dobrynin, 38, who is the drummer of the Russian band SBPCh, sits in front of his drums as he talks to someone at a Practica rehearsal studio in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 18, 2022. Dobrynin now spends much of his time teaching and playing the drums at Practica, a rehearsal space in Tbilisi that organisers designed as a meeting place for musicians from Georgia and abroad. "I don't consider teaching to be a step backwards for me. Teaching and playing in a band are just different things they cannot be compared," he said. "(But) to be honest, I really miss the gigs and the concerts. It's a big loss for me." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Grigory Dobrynin, 38, who is the drummer of the Russian band SBPCh, stands at a Practica rehearsal studio in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 18, 2022. Dobrynin now spends much of his time teaching and playing the drums at Practica, a rehearsal space in Tbilisi that organisers designed as a meeting place for musicians from Georgia and abroad. "I don't consider teaching to be a step backwards for me. Teaching and playing in a band are just different things they cannot be compared," he said. "(But) to be honest, I really miss the gigs and the concerts. It's a big loss for me." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Grigory Dobrynin, 38, who is the drummer of the Russian band SBPCh, speaks to a Reuters reporter at a Practica rehearsal studio in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 18, 2022. Dobrynin now spends much of his time teaching and playing the drums at Practica, a rehearsal space in Tbilisi that organisers designed as a meeting place for musicians from Georgia and abroad. "I don't consider teaching to be a step backwards for me. Teaching and playing in a band are just different things they cannot be compared," he said. "(But) to be honest, I really miss the gigs and the concerts. It's a big loss for me." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Anastasia Ivanova, 22, a Russian singer also known as Grechka, talks during an interview with Reuters as she walks in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, November 15, 2022. Ivanova has not been able to perform in Russia since leaving last spring, saying she was on a "blacklist" for her opposition to the war. She told Reuters she had performed in Ukraine after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I was very warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian audience." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Anastasia Ivanova, 22, a Russian singer and guitarist also known as Grechka, sits in a cafe as she speaks to Reuters in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 15, 2022. Ivanova has not been able to perform in Russia since leaving last spring, saying she was on a "blacklist" for her opposition to the war. She told Reuters she had performed in Ukraine after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I was very warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian audience." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Anastasia Ivanova, 22, a Russian singer also known as Grechka, walks in a yard in the centre of Tbilisi, Georgia, November 15, 2022. Ivanova has not been able to perform in Russia since leaving last spring, saying she was on a "blacklist" for her opposition to the war. She told Reuters she had performed in Ukraine after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I was very warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian audience."  REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Young women attend Anastasia Ivanova's concert in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 6, 2022. Ivanova, 22, a Russian singer also known as Grechka, has not been able to perform in Russia since leaving last spring, saying she was on a "blacklist" for her opposition to the war. She told Reuters she had performed in Ukraine after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I was very warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian audience." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Volunteers gather financial aid for Ukrainian refugees before Anastasia Ivanova's concert, in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 6, 2022. Ivanova, 22, a Russian singer also known as Grechka, has not been able to perform in Russia since leaving last spring, saying she was on a "blacklist" for her opposition to the war. She told Reuters she had performed in Ukraine after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I was very warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian audience." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Anastasia Ivanova, 22, a Russian singer also known as Grechka, performs during a concert in Tbilisi, Georgia, November 6, 2022. Ivanova has not been able to perform in Russia since leaving last spring, saying she was on a "blacklist" for her opposition to the war. She told Reuters she had performed in Ukraine after the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I was very warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian audience." REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov SEARCH "SHEMETOV GEORGIA MUSICIANS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY