Ex-PM Gakharia questioned who brought Russian MP Gavrilov to Georgia in 2019

Ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has questioned who was politically responsible for bringing Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov to Georgia in 2019, during a tense hearing before a parliamentary investigative commission on Monday.

Appearing before the commission established by the ruling Georgian Dream party to investigate alleged crimes under the previous United National Movement Government, Gakharia – now the leader of the opposition party Gakharia for Georgia – said that if the commission was “fair and neutral,” it must answer who authorised Gavrilov’s controversial visit, which triggered mass protests in June 2019.

“We have been talking for so long, and I haven’t asked a single question: how did Gavrilov come to Georgia, who brought him in?” Gakharia said, pushing back against suggestions that he, as then-Interior Minister, bore sole responsibility.

Commission chairwoman Ttea Tsulukiani reminded Gakharia that, as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the time, he controlled the country’s borders. But Gakharia claimed both his ministry and the State Security Service had opposed the entry of Gavrilov and other Russian delegates, only to be overruled by parliament.

According to Gakharia, the parliamentary leadership – under then-Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze – insisted on allowing the Russian delegation to attend the Orthodox Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

“I wasn’t drinking wine with Gavrilov,” Gakharia said, referring to a reported dinner hosted for the Russian MP in Tbilisi before his departure.

Gavrilov’s appearance in the Georgian parliament on June 20, 2019, from the Speaker’s chair, sparked public outrage due to his past support for Russian recognition of the currently occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions. That night, clashes between protesters and police left over 200 people injured, including journalists. Two demonstrators lost their eyes.

The protests lasted for months, demanding electoral reforms, the release of detainees, and Gakharia’s resignation. Despite the backlash, he was later named Prime Minister by Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili in September 2019.

During his premiership, Gakharia oversaw the controversial arrest of opposition leader Nika Melia, but resigned in February 2021, citing concerns over public safety if the arrest were enforced.

The investigative commission, formed in February 2025, was initially set up to examine the record of the opposition UNM. But in March, its scope was broadened to include more recent political events – including Gakharia’s own tenure as interior minister.

Zakaria Kutsnashvili, a Georgian Dream MP who led the Georgian delegation to the Assembly of Orthodoxy, was identified by Tsulukiani as the official host of Gavrilov’s visit. He resigned shortly after the protests and has since withdrawn from public politics.