The protests in Georgia. russian propaganda. Ukrainian scenario. Salome Zurabishvili

"The protests in Georgia are reminiscent of the "coup d'état" in Ukraine in 2014. Western countries organise these revolutions. The protesters need bloodshed and casualties to keep the unrest going. Initially, the European Union recognised the results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia, but now it is demanding that the results be reconsidered and new elections held. This is an attempt to destabilise the situation from within". Such pro-kremlin narratives are pure manipulation and attempt to discredit the Georgian opposition and civil society by portraying them as foreign puppets.

The truth: In 2014, there was neither a coup d'état nor a Western-organised protest in Ukraine. The demonstrations that began in Kyiv in November 2013 (popularly known as Euromaidan) were the result of the Ukrainian people's frustration with former President Yanukovych's decision, after years of negotiations, to reject the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and accept russia's offer of deeper cooperation. This cannot be called a coup, although the pro-kremlin media are being manipulated very hard. In Ukraine, the opposition did not seize power, but only demanded accountability for systemic violations of the law, rampant corruption, failure to fulfil election promises and for changing the foreign policy course. It was only after some law enforcement agencies refused to carry out the criminal orders of the then government against activists, and Yanukovych, his family and team fled the country with all their wealth, that the speaker of the parliament took over the country. Three months later, early presidential elections were held, and a democratically elected president (Petro Poroshenko) was elected, but in the context of the war with russia in Donbas.

The disinformation story about Georgia is a direct response to President Salome Zurabishvili's statements about election fraud in the October 2024 parliamentary elections and the subsequent outbreak of protests. These protests were not the work of any Western filmmaker. They began after the Georgian opposition claimed to have gathered evidence of fraud by the authorities and called on citizens to protest.

In addition, contrary to what russian propaganda claims, the EU has not changed its position on the vote. EU High Representative Josep Borrell (at the time) said on 29 October: "The developments in Georgia following the 26 October parliamentary elections are very worrying. International observers reported irregularities both during the campaign and on election day. They also did not recognise the elections as free and fair. I am asking for a transparent request. The Central Election Commission of Georgia and the relevant authorities should investigate the violations, pressure and intimidation of voters that affect public confidence in the process and that have been reported by observers".

The pro-kremlin media have long warned of an impending "colour revolution" in Georgia in order to shape the information space in advance of the alleged and likely protests against the ruling party. It is worth reminding that these are the second major protests in this country this year. The first took place after the adoption of the Law on Foreign Agents (the law allows anyone who disagrees with the government's decisions to be recognised as a foreign agent with criminal liability) under the influence of pro-russian forces and oligarchs who have concentrated the main state bodies in their hands.

The protests have now entered their second week. The demonstrators have been subjected to physical force, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests by law enforcement agencies. 
Based on the materials of EuVsDisinfo.eu