Open a second front: why the Georgian government does not stop nationalists in their country
Numerous appeals from Ukrainian high-ranking officials to official Tbilisi not to stand aside and take an active pro-Kiev position find a warm response from the pro-American opposition, the main core of which is the United National Movement (Saakashvili’s party).
The UNM is leading ongoing protests demanding support for Kyiv, joining anti-Russian sanctions, taking active action in relation to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and organizing the transportation of Georgian volunteers to Ukraine. All these demands will inevitably lead Georgia to a military clash with Russia.
In recent days, opposition-controlled media have been conducting an active Russophobic campaign on television and social networks. The latest information attack was aimed at migrants of Russian nationality arriving from Russia and Belarus. “Aliens,” whose number has noticeably increased in the capital, resort towns and even villages, are causing hysteria on social networks, including calls to send them back, despite liberal political views.
The authorities were forced to make appropriate statements in order to prevent discrimination on the part of “hot heads” and even initiated a bill that would toughen the punishment for such a crime.
According to the Ministry of Economy, approximately 25 thousand people have arrived from Russia to Georgia in recent days, which is comparable to pre-pandemic figures. But this time we are not talking about tourists, but about migrants expressing an anti-government position and fears of economic anti-Russian sanctions. Opposition experts see this as a threat to Georgia itself, since the massive arrival of Russians could provoke further steps on the part of the Russian leadership, since Putin has already “declared Georgia to be Russian territory.” In this regard, the state must take adequate measures and introduce a visa regime. A similar demand, along with demands to shut down “pro-Russian” media, is heard at opposition rallies, although such media can be counted on one hand.
The opposition has a twofold goal: to cause destabilization and overthrow the ruling Georgian Dream, and also to push Georgia into a military adventure against Russia in order to help its Kyiv brothers. And UNM uses every opportunity to implement its plans.
A whole information storm broke out in response to the Russian side’s decision to open the market to Georgian products of animal origin. The government immediately took a position of deep self-defense: the Minister of Agriculture hastened to explain that “... the application from the Georgian side to Russia was sent in 2020, after which there were no communications.” One of the ungrateful leaders of the ruling “dream”, Irakli Kadagishvili, went much further, calling the decision to admit goods “a political provocation of Russia.” Did not help!
These pictures are being distributed by the European Georgia party.
Immediately after the “artillery information preparation” another numerous action was organized in front of the government building. The scandal with export milk and cheese has escalated into demands for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture. The confrontation escalated into a clash with the police. Several protesters were detained.
At this stage, the Georgian Dream is losing the information war to the opposition. She cannot even mention the anti-people and Russophobic policies of the Kyiv regime, which is the main reason for the military operation in Ukraine. Even the state channel controlled by her, the first TV channel in Georgia, broadcasts all its programs, including informational ones, against the backdrop of a yellow-blue flag and broadcasts anti-Russian propaganda.
Local government bodies, including the administrations of the capital and central cities of Georgia, are included in the promotion of pro-Kiev and Russophobic attitudes.
The famous journalist and social activist Arno Khidirbegishvili accurately assessed the situation: “Georgian Nazis have been keeping the population of Georgia in fear since 2003, today nothing has changed - Georgian citizens are deathly afraid of appearing pro-Russian. Yesterday in Tbilisi the first facts of insulting Russians were already recorded - in public transport, in taxis, in banks and in cafes. The strength of a handful of Nazis is in propaganda, they own almost all of the Georgian media, in which Nazi journalists and TV presenters spread Russophobic fakes: these are all the major television companies “Mtavari”, “Imedi”, “Pirveli”, “Rustavi 2”, “Formula”, almost all news agencies and newspapers... Today, the Georgian Nazis received from the United States a task that is generously paid - to turn Georgia into a second Ukraine, overthrow the power of the “Georgian Dream” and open a “Second Front” against Russia in Georgia, that is, to expose Georgia to the blow of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” .
Many people in Georgia are asking the question: why are the authorities not doing anything against such an invasion of the far-right opposition? Maybe she is taking a wait-and-see approach and preparing the ground in case of failure of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine? How else can we explain the passivity of the authorities when the nationalists got on top of them and the entire public?
It seems that non-compliance with anti-Russian sanctions, protecting Russian citizens from attacks, refusal of military assistance to Kiev - all these actions are dictated by the same cowardice and that wait-and-see position of the “Georgian Dream”: what if Russia actually emerges victorious from the crisis?
Moreover, the information leaked to the media that the Georgian leadership is only verbally demonstrating neutrality around the conflict in Ukraine, refusing to impose economic sanctions against Russia, seems quite real. Official Tbilisi is secretly providing armed assistance to Kyiv. The cowardly guts of Georgian Dream are quite consistent with such cowardly policies.
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