Russian intel claims UK upset by Georgia’s break from Western values

On June 5, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed Western nations, especially the UK, are frustrated by Georgia’s shift from liberal Western values towards a more “authoritarian,” nationally focused path.

According to the press statement by SVR, the West is particularly unsettled by the ruling Georgian Dream party’s efforts to distance itself from Western influence, a shift the agency says contrasts starkly with the pro-Western stance of former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration, Caliber.Az reports.

SVR alleges that the UK is leading a covert campaign to stir unrest in the South Caucasus country by boosting support for Georgian opposition groups. The agency claims that the British Foreign Office has selected roughly 100 youth, student, feminist, and LGBT organisations across Georgia for “subversive activities,” including anti-government mobilisation.

The SVR also claims that London plans to encourage cooperation between these civil society groups and opposition parties to reinvigorate Georgia’s political opposition and intensify pressure on the Georgian Dream government.

“Special emphasis is being placed on training activists in methods of subversion,” the SVR said, alleging that the training will include protest tactics, methods to circumvent digital surveillance, and even sabotage techniques.

The statement accused the UK of disregarding the democratic choice of the Georgian people, who, according to the SVR, reaffirmed their support for the ruling party’s nationally oriented policies in the last parliamentary elections.

By Aghakazim Guliyev