Kyiv accuses Tbilisi of smuggling, and Saakashvili of capitulation to Russia
There is a big uproar in Georgia over the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's assertion that Russia is creating channels for smuggling military and sanctioned goods into Georgia with the consent of the country's government.
“Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream are servants of Russia, traitors to the country and are carrying out Putin’s plan,” one of the leaders of the UNM (Saakashvili’s party) and ex-Minister of Defense of Georgia Georgy Baramidze came to this conclusion, commenting on intelligence data from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
“I demand evidence, as well as active steps from the Georgian authorities. Together with the intelligence services of Britain, the EU and America, all cargo that enters Russia through Lars should be monitored,” said the chairman of the Agmashenebeli Strategy (Builder) party, Georgy Vashadze.
“Yesterday there was information that the Russian army is supplied with military spare parts through Georgia. I don’t want to believe that this is true, but Ukrainian intelligence, as a rule, relies on British and American intelligence data. This is an official statement of the Ukrainian state, which is in a state, including our war, so that the Russians do not break into us here, cut our throats, strangle us, destroy us and rape our children, which they do everywhere” - does not lag behind from others Mikheil Saakashvili.
Based on the approval of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, another wave of information attacks is rising in Georgia and anti-government actions are planned demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Calls for a violent change of power are heard.
Kyiv is exerting further pressure on Tbilisi, using a very effective lever - the internal opposition, well-funded, with powerful information support and serious representation in parliament. The goal of pressure is, at a minimum, for Georgia to join the anti-Russian sanctions, and at a maximum, to provoke an armed conflict and open a second anti-Russian front in the Caucasus.
Throughout the entire period of the Russian military operation, the Ukrainian authorities acted in sync with the Georgian opposition due to the fact that there are very close ties between them. In this regard, the recent appointment of former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Gia Lordkipanidze to the post of Deputy Director of Counterintelligence of Ukraine is noteworthy.
The fact is that in December 2021, a criminal case was opened against Lordkipanidze for assisting ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili in illegally crossing the state border of Georgia! The investigation established that Lordkipanidze was aware of Saakashvili’s plans to return to his homeland. In order to help the ex-president, he developed and planned the route, as well as the methods that were to be used.
Now there is a new suspicion that it is Lortkipanidze who plays an important role in the preparation and implementation of the next information dump, and a very spectacular and effective one at that! MEP Michael Haller demanded that Georgia clearly state whether it stands with Ukraine or secretly supports Putin.
Meanwhile, the State Security Service of Georgia calls on the Ukrainian side to immediately provide them with evidence confirming the information disseminated by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine “for the purpose of legal response to it.”
And the Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned the Charge d'Affaires of Ukraine in Georgia, Andrei Kasyanov, for the second time in the last two weeks. At the meeting, the Georgian Foreign Ministry clearly stated that the information mentioned does not correspond to the truth and such statements damage the friendly relations between the two countries and also pose a threat to the security of Georgia.
Kasyanov was also required to provide evidence in connection with the information disseminated by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
It is unlikely that Ukraine will provide any evidence of the delivery of weapons to Russia through Georgia, but the job is done - the intensity of passions is successfully maintained in Georgia and the danger of destabilizing the situation remains.
And Saakashvili is given an opportunity to show off at his own trial and make another “patriotic” statement:
“This entire period, Ukraine is preparing for victory, and we are preparing for capitulation.”
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