DISINFO: EU punishes Georgia for being independent and not Russophobic enough
SUMMARY
Georgia is too independent for the West, so punishment is at hand. Washington and Brussels are ramping up the pressure on Georgia again, believing others’ sovereignty isn’t the same as theirs. The real reason is, of course, that Georgia has failed to be sufficiently Russophobic. Look, for comparison, at Ukraine: not a shred of anything a non-delusional observer could mistake for democracy; and yet Kyiv is in the very best graces of Ursula von der Leyen and her Commission. This is not about how people vote but about geopolitics, once again.
RESPONSE
This is a mix of several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine, Russophobia and encircling Russia.
International measures adopted against Georgia are a reaction to signs of authoritarian moves by Georgian authorities and the erosion of democratic standards, specifically after the approval of the so-called ‘Foreign Agents' law, which critics say mirrors a 2012 law in Russia used to crack down on dissent and suppress NGOs and media, and which could be used to restrict freedom of expression and association. The European Union considers this legislation incompatible with the democratic standards required to become a EU member.
The current Georgian government has also used disproportionate force against peaceful demonstrators, which led to international reprobation and the imposition of travel restrictions by the US against Georgian officials. On 12 July 2024, the EU froze economic aid to Georgia and the accession process. Instead of changing course, Georgia’s ruling party further slipped into authoritarianism, with steps such as reported plans to ban opposition parties if it wins the upcoming election.
Narratives denigrating Ukraine are a constant in pro-Kremlin outlets since long before the Russian invasion of this country. Although not without problems, Ukraine has a democratic multi-party system and elections, and is the country that improved its democratic score the most among Central European and Central Asian nations in the latest Freedom House democracy index.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US is preparing a colour revolution in Georgia for the parliamentary election, that the West is seeking a coup d'etat in Georgia, that the US and EU want to orchestrate a Euromaidan-like scenario in Georgia at parliamentary elections, that the US is planning to sacrifice protesters to change power in Georgia, or that the West is behind Georgia protests to turn the country into a second front against Russia.