Intelligence Chief: Russia Wants Early Polls in Georgia

Gela Bezhuashvili, the head of Georgian intelligence service, said Russia had intensified efforts aimed at “destabilizing” Georgia and “overthrowing” the Georgian government, including through “supporting the idea of early elections.”

He told lawmakers from the parliamentary committee for defense and security that Russia was using for that purpose “resources” of former Georgian officials and Georgian criminal bosses now living in Russia.

“Russia is interested in internal destabilization in Georgia,” Bezhuashvili said. “Russia has all the resources and it uses them. It works actively with Georgian diaspora in Russia; it uses all those persons, who emigrated from Georgia in recent years [to Russia], including former officials.”

“The purpose of this mobilization of resources is overthrowing of the legally elected government in Georgia. Russia is doing its best to support the idea of any destabilization and disorder, including through supporting the idea of holding early elections in Georgia,” he said.

Referring to President Medvedev’s recent remarks made, Bezhuashvili said that Russia’s top leadership was “opening confirming” having interest in holding of early elections in Georgia.

MP Givi Targamadze, who chairs the parliamentary committee for defense and security, said that “notorious” former officials from ex-president Eduard Shevardnadze’s government Kakha Targamadze, a former interior minister and Levan Mamaladze, a former governor of Kvemo Kartli region, were among those Georgians who were closely cooperating with the Kremlin with the purpose to stir destabilization in Georgia.

Gela Bezhuashvili made the similar remarks on March 20 during the parliamentary committee hearings. He said at those hearings that the Kremlin aimed at regime change in Georgia “through internal disorders and destabilization.”

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