State Security’s claims on possible unrest “absurd” – opposition leader

Giorgi Vashadze, a leader of the opposition Strategy Agmashenebeli, on Monday said the latest claims by the Georgian State Security Service that former officials under the United National Movement planned an unrest in Georgia this fall to overthrow the Government was “absurd”. 

 

He claimed the domestic intelligence was “speaking about everything except the fact that the Russian spy network is operating in Georgia”. 

 

“The public is waiting for the Russian espionage network to be exposed. The US has sanctioned the former Prosecutor General under the current Government Otar Partskhaladze for carrying out the such a scheme. Against this background, the agency is spreading this nonsense and absurdity, the only purpose of which is to talk about everything, except the fact that the Russian espionage network is operating in Georgia”, he said. 

 

The Georgian State Security Service claimed on Monday Giorgi Lortkipanidze, the country’s former Deputy Interior Minister under the United National Movement Government who currently serves as the Deputy Head of the Ukrainian military intelligence, Mikheil Baturin, a former member of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s bodyguard, and Mamuka Mamulashvili, the commander of the Georgian Legion fighting in Ukraine, were behind the alleged scenario. 

 

The body claimed the group were expecting the European Union’s rejection of Georgia’s membership candidate status later this year to spark civil confrontations to “overthrow” the current Government with “foreign funding”.