Wake-up call: what will the pranker scandal lead to in Georgia
A conversation between former President Salome Zurabishvili and pranksters is being hotly discussed in Georgia. The former head of state said that local media and various NGOs were in a difficult situation without American funding. Against this background, on April 29, the Georgian secret service of the State Security Service of Georgia published a report stating that a coup was being prepared in the country last year. Izvestia studied the situation.
Abkhazia and Maidan
Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus phoned former Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili. The dialogue was conducted on behalf of chess player Garry Kasparov (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent, included in the list of terrorists and extremists). During the conversation, the politician complained about the reduction in American financial aid. According to her, Georgian regional and central media outlets, as well as trade unions, were among the victims.
She added that NGOs dealing with social issues are also in a difficult situation. "Political structures have been preparing in advance, they have opened accounts in other countries, so they still have some funds. But small NGOs that help people with disabilities, single mothers and other vulnerable groups have been left without protection," she complained. Zurabishvili also said that the Europeans promised to support the affected organizations, but they are acting very slowly.
Pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Alexey Stolyarov (Lexus)
The pranksters also asked Zurabishvili's opinion on the situation in Abkhazia. She replied that there were people in Sukhumi who were dissatisfied with Russian policy, but the attitude towards Georgia was not improving. According to her, Tbilisi should clearly formulate an attractive perspective for the residents of Abkhazia, and then success is possible. "The antagonism between us remains, it has yet to be overcome. The solution may be a common integration into Europe," she said.
Former President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili
Finally, the pranksters hinted that Georgia should repeat the experience of the Ukrainian Maidan — change power by force. The interlocutor categorically rejected this option. "Ukraine has a different territory and different human resources. We have a small country that has already faced difficulties in its recent history. We don't have a lot of human resources to spend on such scenarios," she said.
Black money for the revolution
Vovan and Lexus also talked with another opposition figure, former Georgian Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili. Among other things, he spoke about unofficial contacts with Abkhazians and Ossetians. "We had a number of meetings in Yerevan, Istanbul and some European countries. I participated in a number of capacity-building activities, and we had a dialogue with some of the de facto authorities," he said.
Nanuashvili also admitted that American and European structures supported Georgian NGOs. His words that the opposition had created its own security forces caused the greatest resonance. "We expect different scenarios.… We have civilians in masks, there are people from the ruling party, there are armed employees of private security companies," he said.
Georgian police officers at the parliament building during a protest against the law on foreign agents. April 16, 2024
Interestingly, Zurabishvili did not comment on the publication of the conversation. But Nanuashvili said that he had actually talked to Garry Kasparov. According to him, he had previously corresponded with the chess player by mail, so he was not surprised when he received an offer to communicate via video. He also stated that the pranksters had glued together different parts of the conversation, in fact, he was not talking about opposition fighters, but about armed supporters of the ruling party (the so-called titushki).
Representatives of the current authorities criticized the opposition for their revelations. Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said that the published audio recordings prove foreign financing of the protesters. "The black money came without any declaration, it was sent to politics, it was spent on organizing a coup d'etat, on a revolution. These people have no homeland, no family. They are directly an agent network," he said indignantly.
Residents of Tbilisi during voting in the parliamentary elections. October 26, 2024
The country's Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili, said that the law on foreign agents in Georgia was adopted precisely in order to resist foreign interference. "Basically, we haven't heard anything new. We know very well what these people serve and to whom. In fact, there are no good goals here, no concern for civil society. The only goal is to encourage radicalism in order to undermine the stability of our country," she said.
In turn, the Solidarity for Peace association, which is close to the ruling party, demanded that the Georgian Prosecutor General's Office open a criminal case against Zurabishvili. It is claimed that her revelations contain calls for a coup. Mikhail Zhgenti, one of the party's leaders, said that the phone prank was allegedly staged by his associates. "The struggle that the liberal opposition has declared against the Georgian government has prompted us and our friends in Moscow to organize what we have all witnessed," he said.
Participants of the protest action against the results of the parliamentary elections held in Georgia on October 26, 2024, at the parliament building in Tbilisi
Against this background, the Georgian secret service of the State Security Service of Georgia published a report stating that a coup was being prepared in the country last year. The pretext was supposed to be parliamentary elections, as well as the adoption and approval of the law on foreign agents. According to the agency, the main striking force was intended to be the Georgians who are fighting in Ukraine as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "The actions of these individuals were controlled by foreign funding, leaders of parliamentary and non—parliamentary parties, as well as non-governmental organizations," the document emphasizes.
What the experts say
Political scientist Archil Sikharulidze believes that Salome Zurabishvili has no political future.
— She was initially an alien element in the Georgian political system, France and Europe are much closer to her. In fact, the ruling party nominated her for the presidency in order to demonstrate her loyalty to the pro-Western course. Georgia's relations with the EU are currently in crisis, which is why Zurabishvili has remained out of work. She herself has made no secret of the fact that she receives support from the John McCain American Institute and from Europe. Accordingly, there is nothing surprising in her requests for additional funding," he explains.
Shota Apkhaidze, a political scientist and expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, says that law enforcement agencies should open a criminal case in connection with the revelations of the opposition.
— There are attempts to attract foreign money to destabilize the domestic political situation. Actually, law enforcement agencies should respond by opening a case, summoning the defendants for questioning, and finding out all the details. But I don't think that's going to happen. Opposition figures will say that they have become victims of Russian propaganda, the West will hint at new sanctions, as a result, the ruling party and law enforcement agencies will prefer not to inflate this story," he argues.
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