DISINFO: The US intends to use Georgia to inflame conflicts near Russia
SUMMARY
Georgia is Washington's only outpost in the Caucasus and the US uses the country as a provocateur and instigator of conflicts on Russia's southern borders. The US is behind the recent mass protests in Georgia related to the Georgian government's intention to pass a law on foreign agents in the media.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about alleged ‘colour revolutions’, portraying popular protests in the former Soviet republics as Western-instigated coup d'état.
The claim that recent protests in Georgia were a Western-orchestrated attempt to forcibly change power is not supported by evidence. Georgia’s protests were driven by a strong rejection among Georgian citizens of the controversial ‘foreign agents law’, which critics say mirrors a 2012 law in Russia used to crack down on dissent and suppress western-funded NGOs and media, and which could be used to restrict freedom of expression and association.
Furthermore, following international and local criticism, including from the UN, US, EU and its member states, the draft law caused fears among Georgian citizens that it could impede their country's hopes for closer ties with the EU. As a result of the mass protests, the Georgian Parliament dropped the “foreign agents” bill after the ruling party withdrew support.
No evidence has been provided to support the claim that the US interferes in Georgia's domestic affairs, although it is a leitmotif of pro-Kremlin disinformation. Georgia is an independent and sovereign country with independently elected institutions such as its parliament and president. The latest elections in Georgia were free and fair according to independent international observers (see here and here).
Georgia and the US have a strong partnership, with Georgia receiving 4,3 billion USD in financial aid from the US in the period 1992-2020 that that supported democratic and free-market principles in the country. The US supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.
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, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Belarus, Venezuela, Slovakia, Hong Kong, with the aim of portraying protest movements and activists as aggressive actors who constantly prepare new coups.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that the West is interfering in Georgian protests or The US is behind attempts to "shake" the situation in Georgia.