Georgia's ruling party slams UK sanctions, accuses London of interference

The ruling Georgian Dream party has reacted strongly to the United Kingdom’s latest sanctions against Georgia, dismissing accusations of Russian influence and urging London to “mind its own business.”

According to Caliber.Az, citing Georgian media, Levan Machavariani, first deputy chairman of the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, issued a blunt response.

“They have been talking about ties with Russia for the last 13 years, so let them present some evidence or give one example of how Russian influence in Georgia has increased in our circumstances. The UK has its own problems, so it would be better for it to mind its own business,” Machavariani said.

The response came a day after the British government announced new restrictive measures targeting several Georgian individuals and entities. The sanctions were imposed against prominent businessman and politician Levan Vasadze and former Prosecutor General Otar Partskhaladze.

In its official statement, the UK government said the new package targeted “four individuals associated with Georgia who have provided economic or ideological support to the Kremlin.” The measures, it explained, were aimed at exposing their activities and deterring others from aiding Russia’s war effort.

The sanctions also extended to maritime restrictions. Two oil tankers that had transported Russian oil to the Georgian port of Batumi were blacklisted. London described the ships as part of the Kremlin’s so-called “shadow fleet” — a group of aging and hazardous vessels used to circumvent sanctions and sustain Russia’s vital energy export revenues, which remain the main source of funding for its war in Ukraine. The sanctioned tankers are now prohibited from entering British ports and have been removed from the British Ship Register.

London further accused Levan Vasadze, a Georgian politician and media mogul, of using his platforms to spread pro-Russian disinformation. Otar Partskhaladze, described as a businessman with close ties to Moscow and the senior leadership of Georgian Dream, was also included in the sanctions list.

The British government recalled that this latest step follows its decision in 2024 to downgrade diplomatic relations with Georgia. That move, it said, came in direct response to actions by the Georgian Dream authorities, who pushed through Kremlin-inspired legislation aimed at restricting civil society and imprisoning opposition politicians.

By Tamilla Hasanova