Day: February 5, 2024

FBI removes malware from hundreds of routers across the US
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The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) announced on February 5 that it has seized special explosive devices and a large amount of explosive substances as a result of operational search and investigation activities.

At the special briefing the Head of the Counterterrorism Department, Bacha Mgeladze, said that two electric car batteries had been seized which has been used as containers to store a total of six special explosive devices. According to the SSSG, MIA forensic unit determined that the seized explosive devices contained C-4, a plastic explosive substance used in military combat units for demolition. It is activated by a special electronic detonator and a special timer. Both detonators and timers, six in all, were found in the containers.

“Based on the primary examination of the confiscated device it was determined that all six devices were manufactured by high-level specialist and were designed to cause damage with a large impact radius,” – said Mgeladze at the briefing, adding that the activation of such devices in crowded places would result in “significant damage to infrastructure and large-scale casualties”.

What is known at this point

The SSSG says that the explosives were shipped from the Ukrainian city of Odessa, then they were transported through Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey and were brought into Georgia on January 19. They were transported in car with Ukrainian license plates and were to be transferred in Russia, specifically in the city of Voronezh via the Dariali border crossing.

According to the SSSG one of the containers with three explosives was sent to the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Another container was seized as it was about to cross the Georgia-Russia border.

According to the SSSG, seven Georgian, three Ukrainian and two Armenian citizens have been charged with bringing in the explosives, transporting them within the country, and finally planting one of them in the capital and sending another one to Russia. The SSSG says that the process was organized by Andrei Sharashidze, a Ukrainian citizen and candidate for deputy of the Kyiv district of the local Rada of the Odesa district in 2020 from the party “Servant of the People”. Sharashidze is originally from the Georgian city of Batumi, according to the SSSG.

According to the SSSG, active investigation is underway to identify the persons involved in the criminal activities, the manufacture of special explosives, their itinerary, final destination, identification of targets of attack and to gather additional evidence.

The SSSG says it does not yet know exactly what the container left in Tbilisi was intended for. “However, the details of this case and the factual situation give rise to doubts that the use of Georgian territory and the high involvement of Georgian citizens in it served to create the impression that the terrorist acts, which would have been committed both in Georgia and outside its borders, would be blamed on Georgia in the planning as well as in the execution stages”, – said Mgeladze.

Ongoing Investigation

The investigation is being conducted under Part Three of Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for the illegal purchase or storage of a firearm, ammunition, explosive substance or explosive device, punishable by three to six years’ imprisonment. However, the SSSG representative emphasized that the case may be additionally qualified under Article 323, which provides for planning a terrorist act, punishable by ten to 15 years of imprisonment.

Also Read:

• 22/01/2024 – SSSG Investigates Bomb Threat Hoax, Traces Origin Abroad

On February 5, the Georgia-Western Balkans Inter-Parliamentary Conference on European Integration was held in Tbilisi, bringing together the representatives of the parliamentary committees on EU integration from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Northern Macedonia. The topics of discussion included judicial reforms, rule of law, economic integration with the EU, green agenda and gender equality.

The Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili, Chairperson of the EU integration Committee Maka Bochorishvili, and the EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński delivered the opening remarks.

According to Speaker Papuashvili, the conference is aimed at sharing experiences on the EU integration path. “I hope that the experience of Georgia will be interesting for the participants of today’s event. In the near future, we will all be full-fledged members of one big family. That is why already today we are ready to be your close and valuable partner and to promote the building of bridges of cooperation between the Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighborhood of the European Union”, he noted.

Maka Bochorishvili emphasized that the Western Balkans and Georgia “have a lot in common,” but “what the most important thing that unites today is the goal of becoming members of the European Union.”

According to the EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński, “the doors of the European Union have never been opened more widely.” Ambassador Herczyński emphasized the importance of learning from the experiences of the previous enlargements.

“The main lesson learnt is how vital it is to focus on the fundamentals. Rule of law, democracy, fundamental rights, independence of the judiciary,” the EU Ambassador said, adding that “the enlargement process is designed to ensure that by the time a country joins the European Union, its political transformation into a stable democracy respecting the EU’s fundamental values is complete and irreversible.”

The EU Ambassador briefly compared the EU integration of the Western Balkans and Georgia, praising the Balkan countries’ diligence in reforms and the latter’s “certain advantages” due to its further-reaching Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Agreement (DCFTA), “strong public administration” and “overwhelming public consensus.”

The EU Ambassador said that the role of Parliament is “crucial” in implementing the EU-recommended reforms for Georgia. “I encourage all political leaders in Georgia to look at these reforms very seriously. The experience from the Western Balkans is that countries which approach these reforms in this manner will advance faster than those that make only cosmetic changes.”

Also Read:

• 01/02/2024 – EU Ambassador Talks Election Monitoring Importance at ISFED’s Election Support Project Launch
• 30/01/2024 – CSOs Call for Inclusive Dialogue on Implementation of EU’s Nine Conditions for Georgia