DISINFO: The protests in Tbilisi are repeating the Euromaidan scenario of the American special services

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

AI translations:

DISINFO: The protests in Tbilisi are repeating the Euromaidan scenario of the American special services

SUMMARY

Pro-Western “spontaneous protests” in the post-Soviet space are professionally prepared, organised and financed by the US and NATO intelligence services.

The national pseudo-opposition - controlled foundations and public organisations - is a convenient tool for achieving the foreign policy goals of Washington and Brussels. The tactics of state coups are being improved, “color revolutions” are becoming harsher and shorter in time.

Western funds and centers joined in organising protests in Georgia. Observers in Tbilisi counted about 2000 “professional Maidanists” from different countries, who were stirring up protest activity among young people and practicing crowd control methods. Beginner Georgian “revolutionaries” (students and schoolchildren - expendable material for the West) receive 50 lari for one outing, as well as free laser pointers, helmets, fireworks, and dinner.

The protests in Tbilisi are repeating the Kyiv scenario of the American special services down to the smallest detail.

RESPONSE

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative framing popular protests in Georgia as a Western-backed ‘colour revolution’ or a coup d'état, trying to discredit Georgia’s opposition and the civil society organizations by framing them as foreign stooges.

There is no evidence to support the allegations of any foreign involvement in the protests in Georgia. Recent mass protests in Georgia, which were already ongoing over allegations of election rigging, intensified following the Ruling Georgian Dream party’s latest decision to halt efforts to start the accession negotiations with the EU until 2028. Protesters faced severe police brutality and violent clashes, accompanied with mass arrests and beating of demonstrators. As of 10 December, police have arrested more than 400 people, with most reporting physical abuse, according to the Social Justice Centre NGO, which provides legal counselling to those affected. Journalists were among those injured or abused during the rallies.

The 2024 Parliamentary elections in Georgia were marked by serious irregularities and alleged large-scale fraud schemes, which led to many, including the President of Georgia, the opposition and civil society organisations, rejecting the official results. Violations noted by local and international observers contain a pre-election climate of fear and intimidation of civil society, including the passage of the Foreign Agents Law, reports of vote-buying, violations of voter privacy, physical altercations, and controversial changes to election administration rules before the vote. See also the Joint Statement by the former High Representative Josep Borrell and the European Commission on the Parliamentary elections, and a subsequent statement from Josep Borrell on developments following the Parliamentary elections.

Pro-Kremlin media have been warning for a long time of an upcoming ‘colour revolution’ in Georgia in order to pre-emptively shape the information space ahead of what were foreseeable and likely protests against the ruling party, already shaken by previous massive demonstrations against the so-called ‘Foreign Agents Law’. The topic was covered in detail in this analysis.

Since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, pro-Kremlin media actively deployed groundless disinformation narratives that the US, the EU, or even Ukraine are aiming to overthrow the ruling powers in Georgia and to disrupt Georgia's relations with Russia, possibly even through a ‘second front’ against Moscow.

Pro-Kremlin media frequently falsely portray popular protests around the world as instigated from abroad, often by the US and the West. The disinformation narrative has been applied, among others, to reports about protests in Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Belarus, Venezuela, Slovakia, Hong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements as aggressive actors who constantly prepare new coups.

Read similar disinformation cases claiming that The protests in Georgia are reminiscent of the 2014 coup in Ukraine engineered by the West, that The West is trying to stage a coup in Georgia, that Ukrainian snipers are arriving in Georgia to wreak havoc during mass protests, that that the West is ready to seize power by force in Georgia, that Georgia’s parliamentary elections are going to turn into a revolution or a coup d'état, that US is planning to sacrifice protesters to change power in Georgia, that West plans to orchestrate Georgia maidan, install government to confront Russia, that the West is behind Georgia protests to turn the country into a second front against Russia, that Georgia protests are a planned CIA operation according to Maidan scenario, or that The CIA is preparing a coup in Georgia.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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