One of Russia’s European neighbours, the former Soviet republic of Georgia, is bracing for large-scale protests in its capital, Tbilisi, this week. It comes as the country faces elections to appoint municipal councils and city mayors, less than a year after its disputed 2024 parliamentary vote. Many opposition parties have refused to take part in the elections, set to take place on Saturday, instead declaring the day the beginning of the “liberation of the Georgian people from the pro-Russian regime”.
The ruling party in Georgia, “Georgian Dream”, has control of the voting process. Known colloquially as the Kotsebi, the party has become increasingly Eurosceptic and has been accused by its opponents of having an anti-Western and pro-Russian foreign policy – allegations which the party has denied. It has also passed legislation considered by the US and European Union as contradicting the EU and NATO membership policies. Last year, the US sanctioned leading Georgian Dream officials for “undermining democracy”, “violating human rights, and working for the benefit of the Russian Federation”. A week before the vote, authorities have shown that they were ready to use all the tools of violence at their disposal, and, if necessary, use Russian assistance, local sources have claimed.
It has been revealed that on the eve of the elections – taking place between September 27 and October 3 – the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Championship, in which over a thousand athletes would participate, would be held in Tbilisi, according to European Pravda. According to a well-known Georgian journalist and blogger, Tengo Gogotishvili, fighters from the Russian special police unit “Akhmat”, as well as “athletes” from Dagestan and North Ossetia, were expected to arrive.
“They were told that Georgian athletes should be beaten in the ring, and pro-Western protesters should be beaten at a rally,” Mr Gogotishvili was told by one Chechen security officer. According to Gogotishvili’s interlocutor, this scheme was directly supervised by the Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya and head of the power bloc, Abuzaya Vismuradov, nicknamed “Patriot”. According to its representative, Mikhail Baturin, the process of transferring North Caucasian athletes to Georgia to suppress the rally on October 4, a process he called a “disguised operation”, has already begun.
A ban on the largest opposition party, the United National Movement, whose honorary chairman is former president and political prisoner Mikheil Saakashvili, has also been launched. Critics have argued that this is a signal that the Georgian Dream is “ready to do anything to retain power.”
A day earlier, the party’s propagandist, Zaza Shatirishvili, stated live that it would be good if opponents of the regime emigrated from Georgia, drawing parallels with the exoduses under Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, whom he praised as a “hero”.
The leadership of the Georgian Dream has recently increased pressure on diplomatic missions accredited in Georgia, with ambassadors of the EU, Germany and the UK becoming the targets of their attacks. The latter two were summoned to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to demand explanations.
Before arriving at the ministry, Germany’s ambassador Peter Fischer told reporters that he had been summoned and that this was a “form of diplomatic sanction”, which, he said, was “very unusual” in relations between friendly countries.
“This is the first time in the history of modern Georgia’s relations with Germany that the German ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry… I also strongly reject the unfounded accusations made against the Federal Republic of Germany, me, and other ambassadors. I will criticise Georgia’s current course, which contradicts EU membership,” Mr Fischer said.
The EU is also seriously considering abolishing its visa-free regime for Georgia, introduced in 2017, which would be a significant blow to the authorities.