Ex-President Saakashvili claims jailed Armenian activist Vahagn Chakhalyan was Russian agent

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now in jail for several charges, has claimed that recently arrested Armenian activist Vahagn Chakhalyan was a Russian agent, recruited by GRU intelligence and operating from Akhalkalaki. Writing from prison, Saakashvili accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of “doing Russia’s bidding” by releasing Chakhalyan from prison in 2013.

"Chakhalyan was not working for the Armenian cause, neither in Georgia nor in Armenia. He was a GRU-recruited agent based at the Akhalkalaki base. Georgian Dream also served Russian interests by releasing him from prison," Saakashvili wrote in social media.

Chakhalyan, once jailed in Georgia under Saakashvili's government for organizing illegal protests and resisting police, was a known advocate for Javakheti autonomy—a mostly Armenian-populated region in Georgia. Saakashvili and others previously labeled him a threat to Georgian statehood and accused him of inciting ethnic tensions.

Chakhalyan was recently arrested in Armenia on terrorism and coup-plotting charges alongside members of the opposition movement Sacred Struggle. Armenian authorities say the case involves attempts to undermine the government following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.