Tbilisi Says Moscow has ‘Outdated’ Data on Georgian Military

Officials in Tbilisi have downplayed the Russian Ministry of Defense information posted on its website about armament transferred to Georgia by its western allies as “outdated.” 

“It seems that that the Russian intelligence does not work efficiently any longer,” Batu Kutelia, the Georgian deputy defense minister, said on May 15. “All those [military] procurements were made by the Georgian Ministry of Defense two years ago. Since then the Georgian armed forces have purchased much more modern weapons and military hardware. This process is still underway. The process of building the Georgian army is underway. Our partners are actively assisting us and this process will continue, until the Georgian army becomes the most modern and well-equipped army in the region.”

Senior lawmaker from the ruling party Givi Targamadze, who chairs the committee for defense and security in the outgoing parliament, suggested that the Russian side could have received information about western military assistance to Georgia from former Defense Ministry official, Iason Chikhladze.

Chikhladze, the former chief of the Defense Ministry’s procurement unit, is wanted for misuse of power and embezzlement. Charges against Chikhladze were brought simultaneously with the launch of criminal proceedings by the Georgian authorities against ex-defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, whom France has recently granted political asylum.

“Soso Chikhladze, with the nickname Volk [wolf] fled the country via Russia and we expressed our supposition that he, sanctioned by Okruashvili, would have transferred to the Russian side the information of military purchases. Unfortunately, this supposition has been confirmed,” Targamadze said.

Okruashvili said in one of his interviews that allegations against Chikhladze were totally groundless and that Chikhladze had never fled to Russia.

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