Ex-Pres Saakashvili accuses Georgian government of preparing 'major betrayal'

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has accused the Georgian government of preparing what he called a "major betrayal" of Georgia, citing reports of fuel supplies to Russian-controlled Abkhazia and Ukraine's recent strikes against Russian military infrastructure.

In a social media post, Saakashvili alleged that fuel was being supplied to Russia through Abkhazia while Ukraine was carrying out successful attacks against Russian military targets.

He called on political forces and what he described as "all patriots" to put aside political and personal differences and form what he called a "national survival movement".

Saakashvili said the government was preparing to undermine Georgia's statehood by invoking the Treaty of Georgievsk, the 1783 agreement between the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and the Russian Empire.

He warned that Georgia was approaching what he described as the "final stage" of the country's destruction and urged opposition groups to unite before it was too late.

Saakashvili's comments followed Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's statement that fuel had entered Russian-controlled Abkhazia from Georgia-controlled territory through a private business and in accordance with Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories.