Rasa Juknevičienė: Georgia rises against anti-European regime, EU must act

Rasa Juknevičienė, Permanent Rapporteur on Georgian Affairs at the European Parliament, has described Georgia’s current upheaval as a critical moment in the fight against Russian imperialism. She asserts that the Georgian people are resisting Bidzina Ivanishvili’s anti-European regime, which she claims is deeply connected to Kremlin interests.

Juknevičienė emphasizes that Georgia’s struggle is part of Russia’s broader strategy to undermine democracies, linking it to Moscow’s past actions in Ukraine, Moldova, and Lithuania. She highlights the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia as a turning point, made possible by NATO’s failure to offer Georgia and Ukraine a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the Bucharest Summit.

She accuses Ivanishvili of steering Georgia away from its Euro-Atlantic aspirations while manipulating public support for EU integration. Recent parliamentary elections, labeled by President Salome Zourabichvili as a “Kremlin special operation,” reflect the depth of Russian influence in the country, she claims.

Juknevičienė calls for decisive EU action, urging member states to support Georgia’s path out of the crisis through new, transparent elections. She praises the European Parliament’s historic resolution on Georgia but stresses that more must be done to mediate and assist Georgian society.

According to her, Georgia’s struggle is about more than one nation—it is a fight for European democracy against Russian aggression. “Georgians do not want to be part of Russia’s empire. Their fight is our fight,” she writes, urging the EU to act decisively to ensure a united Europe and counter Putin’s ambitions.