Disinfo: Protests in Georgia are attempt to forcibly change power, resembling Euromaidan

Summary

Protests in Georgia are reminiscent of the Kyiv Maidan and are an attempt to forcibly change power.

There is no doubt that the rallies against the law on “foreign agents” were just an excuse to start an attempt to change power in Georgia by force.

These protests are "orchestrated from the outside", and those who do this are guided by the desire to create an irritant at the Russian borders.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about colour revolutions, portraying popular protests in the former Soviet republics as Western-instigated coup d'état.

There is no evidence that recent protests in Georgia were a Western-orchestrated attempt to forcibly change power. Massive protests erupted in Tbilisi after the Georgian parliament passed the first reading of a controversial bill requiring some organizations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents”.

Many protesters saw the draft law as a legal step being inspired by similar laws in Russia and they protested against it. Further, the draft law caused fears that it could impede Georgia’s hopes for closer ties with the European Union, following local and international criticism, including from the US, EU and its member states, as well as the UN. Notably, the protests were met with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons from the riot police that dispersed the rally using force.

As a result of the mass protests, the Georgian Parliament dropped the “foreign agents” bill after the ruling party withdrew support.

The 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 as aggressive actors who constantly prepare new coups.

Pro-Kremlin outlets falsely portray as a coup d’état the Euromaidan revolution. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former president Viktor Yanukovych’s sudden departure from the promised Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013.

Read a similar disinformation case claiming that The US is behind attempts to "shake" the situation in Georgia.

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  • Reported in: Issue 330
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10/03/2023
  • Article language(s) Russian, Georgian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Georgia
  • Keywords: Colour revolutions, Euromaidan, Protest, West, Coup
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Disinfo: NATO's next target is a coup in Georgia

Current demonstrations in Georgia were inspired by US and EU agents. At present, it is impossible to predict whether the Georgian government will be able to resist, or whether it will be a new edition of the US and NATO-led coups that took place in Yugoslavia, Ukraine and other countries.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about colour revolutions, portraying popular protests in the former Soviet republics as Western-instigated coup d'état.

There is no evidence that recent protests in Georgia were a Western-orchestrated attempt to forcibly change power. Massive protests erupted in Tbilisi after the Georgian parliament passed the first reading of a controversial bill requiring some organisations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents”.

Disinfo: Poland continues its gradual seizure of Western Ukraine

The construction of a Polish military training ground in western Ukraine will draw Warsaw into a conflict in this country. A Polish company Lubawa is constructing a field training centre for 600 Ukrainian soldiers in the Ukrainian region of Volyn. This construction takes place on the background of direct Polish involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, which does not bother anyone in Warsaw and Kyiv. All the military facilities in Ukraine are legitimate targets for the Russian Army. Poland continues its gradual seizure of Ukrainian territory. In reality, Warsaw is preparing infrastructure in order to increase the size of the Polish military unit fighting in this country (Polish Volunteer Legion), which will be deployed at the base. This unit is created to control the actions of the authorities and protect law and order in the territories of western Ukraine.

Disproof

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative challenging Ukraine’s statehood and presenting Poland as a state with imperial ambitions. Apart from smearing Poland, the aim is also to deflect attention away from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This disinformation message has adopted several different and sometimes contradictory forms, including allegations that Poland either wants to create a puppet proxy-state in Western Ukraine or annex these territories or that it is President Zelenskyy who wants to cede this land due to his “Polish origin”.

Disinfo: The US behind protests in Georgia

Georgian political scientist revealed the reason for the protests in Tbilisi. According to the expert, everything that is happening is a consequence of regular American directives.

On Tuesday, thousands of people protested in Tbilisi over the adoption in the first reading of the Georgian version of the American law on foreign agents. However, political scientist Shota Apkhaidze believes that everything was planned in advance by the United States, which simply implemented their ideas through Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili.

Disproof

This is a common pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about lost sovereignty and independence, challenging Georgian statehood and portraying popular protests as instigated from abroad.

There is no evidence that the recent protests in Georgia were planned by the US to destabilise the country. Contrary to the allegations, massive protests erupted in Tbilisi after the Georgian parliament passed the first reading of a controversial bill that requires organisations receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents”. The draft law caused fears that it could impede Georgia’s hopes for closer ties with the European Union, following local and international criticism, including from the US, EU and its member states.