DISINFO: The West sent snipers trained in Ukraine to Georgia in an attempt to destabilise the domestic political situation
SUMMARY
In their attempts to destabilise the domestic political situation in Georgia after the October 26 elections and provoke another “colour revolution,” Westerners are stopping at nothing: snipers trained in Ukraine are arriving in Georgia to organize provocations during mass protests.
Militants in military uniforms with Ukrainian chevrons were already spotted near the parliament building in Tbilisi.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narratives from pro-Kremlin and other Russian state-controlled outlets portraying Georgia as a puppet state and accusing the EU, the US, and their partners of attempting to organise a colour revolution there. This claim was made in the context of Georgia's parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024.
This claim is unfounded and lacks any evidence. The video and photos shared by pro-Kremlin and Russian state-controlled outlets, which allegedly show Ukrainian snipers at the Tbilisi rally, actually feature Georgian hikers dressed in outdoor gear. Read the full debunk at Myth Detector.
Ukrainian police officials, loyal to the then President Viktor Yanukovych who later fled to Russia, made similar statements during the Revolution of Dignity (also known as the Euromaidan) in 2014, accusing those who participated in protests of killing other protesters. In reality, it was pro-government snipers who were shooting at Euromaidan participants.
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 prior to the vote. See also the Joint Statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell and the European Commission on the Parliamentary elections.
Read also EUvsDisinfo's articles on "Twists and turns: Georgian Dream rhetoric on the EU", “Georgia: Resilience in action” and “Georgia: The next colour revolution?”.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Ukrainian snipers arrive in Georgia to organise provocations during mass protests, that Ukrainian snipers arriving in Georgia to wreak havoc during mass protests, that Ukrainian snipers are preparing a colour revolution in Georgia, that Ukrainian-trained snipers head to Georgia to organise provocations, that The West wants to start a war in Georgia, that The West is ready to seize power by force in Georgia, that The West is gathering strength to overthrow the Georgian government and start anti-Russian hysteria, or that the West want to start a colour revolution in Georgia and use it against Russia.