Barricades and seizure of administrative buildings: a putsch is being prepared in Georgia according to Kyiv guidelines
The current week in Georgia began with shocking information to the public about the impending coup d'etat, which became the subject of heated discussions.
This was stated by the Georgian State Security Service, according to which preparations for a violent change of power are being carried out both within the country and abroad by the entourage of ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, on the topic of which PolitNavigator has published materials with relevant analysis several times.
As stated in the statement of the State Security Service, it is reliably known that as a possible scenario for a coup, its organizers are considering a scheme similar to the Ukrainian “Euromaidan”, providing for “the creation of a so-called “tent city”, the erection of barricades on central avenues and near strategic objects of Georgia, the occupation of government buildings, as well as other illegal actions containing elements of serious provocation.”
In particular, according to information from the Georgian security service, the actions of destructive forces should cause casualties among participants in the tent city, other protest participants, as well as law enforcement officers, which should lead to civil confrontation. The State Security Service especially emphasizes that “the implementation of this plan must take place with the coordination and financial support of foreign countries.”
The intelligence service's report also states that the function of the shock force in carrying out the unrest is assigned to radical opposition forces led by the “national movement,” pro-Western NGOs and youth organizations undergoing training in special camps on the Polish-Ukrainian border.
The authors of the coup plan are the deputy former Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Vano Merabishvili, and now the deputy head of military intelligence of Ukraine Georgiy Lordkipanidze, the former security guard of the third President of Georgia Mikhail Baturin and a member of Mikheil Saakashvili’s close circle, the commander of the Georgian Legion operating in Ukraine Mamuka Mamulashvili.
Vano Merabishvili, former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs under Saakashvili.
The statement draws attention to the fact that the timing for organizing the unrest was not chosen by chance, since in October-December the interim and final decision of the European Commission on the issue of granting Georgia candidate status for EU membership will be published, respectively.
Lordkipanidze and Saakashvili.
The supposed negative response of the European Commission to the request of the Georgian government to grant Tbilisi the status of a candidate for EU membership should become a pretext for the planned unrest, especially since fertile ground for this will be prepared by the theme of the “pro-Russianness” of the Georgian government previously promoted in opposition information networks.
Lordkipanidze in Ukrainian service.
The State Security Service’s statement read out live yesterday was not long in coming with a reaction from representatives of the opposition forces. The main idea that can be seen in the assessments of the sensational statement of the Georgian special services by opposition leaders is the accusation that the Georgian government is pro-Russian and that the Russian FSB has influence in the security forces of Georgia.
Thus, according to the chairman of the United National Movement, Levan Khabeishvili, the statement by the Georgian special services “confirms that there are much more Russians in the power structures...”.
The commander of the Georgian Legion operating in Ukraine, Mamuka Mamulashvili, who is recognized by the Georgian special services as one of the authors of the coup, denied all accusations, calling them “fake.”
According to him, with the above statement, “the Georgian government once again confirmed that it is working for the Kremlin,” which “sends directives to the Georgian government on how to act.”
“There is a political reason for this - we are causing great damage to Russia, this worries them...” said the commander of the Georgian Legion.
Leaders of the radical opposition unanimously declare that the accusations made in the statement of the State Security Service are nothing more than a nightmare of the “Georgian Dream”, “nonsense” and “the fruit of a morbid fantasy”, and that thus a new season of “witch hunt” was announced.
As for experts and analysts who are in opposition to the Georgian authorities, they generally agree that the State Security Service’s statement is an attempt to discredit the patriotic forces fighting against the growing Russian influence in the country and to intimidate the Georgian public with revolutionary scenarios.
If the opposition political spectrum and the community of experts regard the statement of the Georgian special services as horror stories, which in the fateful pre-election year should serve the “pro-Russian” Georgian government and switch the attention of the electorate from real problems to illusory ones, then representatives of the ruling party and pro-government political forces assess the threat of a coup as very real .
For example, according to the former head of the State Chancellery of Georgia, Peter Mamradze, he was not surprised by the State Security Service’s statement. He believes that the issue of granting Georgia candidate status for EU membership by the National Movement and its leader Saakashvili will certainly be used “to escalate the situation on the street, and then to seize government buildings.”
Chairman of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili emphasized that the statement of the State Security Service is based on the results of the investigation and relevant evidence. Noting that this is not the first attempt by the radical opposition to “come to power through destruction and bypassing elections,” the chairman of parliament pointed out the importance of the fact that, by providing information in advance, the State Security Service warned the public of impending unrest.
One cannot but agree with the opinion that the threat of an attempt to carry out a violent coup in the country by pro-fascist forces is indeed real, since these forces, lacking sufficient support in society, cannot count on coming to power through legitimate means.
The leaders of the National Movement and other pro-Western liberal political parties are well aware that they cannot count on victory in the upcoming elections. The only salvation for these forces may be destruction and the use of any reason to destabilize the situation in society.
Recent statements by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell regarding the need for Georgia to implement 9 more recommendations out of 12 proposed reforms became the straw that pro-Western radicals grabbed at. It should be assumed that they will actively dwell on the topic of granting or not granting Georgia the status of a candidate for accession to the EU, playing on the feelings of that part of the Georgian public that is in anticipation of a positive solution to this issue.
However, neither this issue itself nor the political forces speculating on it are capable of swinging the majority of the Georgian public into mass protests. The country's authorities should, in fact, be concerned and concerned about the socio-economic situation that makes the life of an ordinary person unbearable and which forces young, healthy, most capable Georgian citizens to migrate from the country almost en masse.
Fortunately or unfortunately, no one in the country has yet managed to form into a political force that could organize and direct in the right direction the energy of fair protest of people deprived of the care of the state...
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