Day: September 18, 2023

“A certain group of people, both inside and outside of Georgia, is currently plotting to orchestrate destabilization and civil unrest in the country”, the State Security Service of Georgia claimed today.  According to the SSSG statement, the disruptive activities are to occur during the period from October to December of this year when the European Union is scheduled to publish its assessment of 12 EU priorities implementation by Georgia and make a decision, on the highest level, on granting Georgia an EU candidate status. The SSSG says the ultimate objective of the plot is the “forcible overthrow of the government.”

“The conspirators, in their bid to topple the state government, are counting on an assumption that the (EU) report will be negative, which will enable them to create a fertile ground for the widespread unrest and subsequent riots with the help of the information network at their disposal” and by artificially labeling the government as “pro-Russian” – the statement reads.

The SSSG additionally asserts that among the individuals involved in the conspiracy are Giorgi Lortkipanidze, a former deputy to the ex-Minister of the Interior of Georgia, Vano Merabishvili. The SSSG also notes that Lortkipanidze currently holds the position of deputy Head of Ukraine’s counterintelligence and his “co-conspirators in this illegal endeavor” include Mikheil Baturin, the former bodyguard of the third President Saakashvili, and Mamuka Mamulashvili, who leads the Georgian Legion operating in Ukraine.

“It’s crucial to emphasize that the execution of this plot is being coordinated and financially supported by foreign countries,”- the SSSG added.

According to the SSSG, the conspirators are also recruiting and training the Georgian youth near the Polish-Ukrainian border, with the support of organization Canvas/Otpor, linked to revolutionary activities in Serbia. 

The conspirators in question, the SSSG continues, are deliberating various scenarios, including setting up a “Tent City,” erecting barricades around key streets and sites in Georgia, fortifying government buildings, inciting gunfire between the police and protesters, and other unlawful activities. The SSSG further claims that organizers are also contemplating a scenario akin to the “Euromaidan” events that took place in Ukraine in 2014.

The SSSG claims that “this is not the first plot of its kind”, but it underscores that given the precarious geopolitical environment, the current plan presents a notably elevated level of risk compared to previous instances.