Reactions to SSSG Claims of Planned “Destabilization and Civil Unrest”
The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) announced on September 18 that “a certain group of people, both inside and outside of Georgia, is currently planning to orchestrate destabilization and civil unrest in the country” with the ultimate goal of forcibly overthrowing the government.
Below, Civil.ge offers reactions to this statement:
Persons mentioned in the SSSG statement
Mamuka Mamulashvili, leader of the Georgian Legion operating in Ukraine”: “Let us call everything what it really is – the Georgian government is fulfilling the Russian task and trying to discredit us. In fact, they want to create difficulties for the Georgian Legion and have been instructed to do so. It is the same scenario that was played out in Russia and the members of the Georgian Legion were sentenced to 25-25 years. As for Gia [Lortkipanidze], he is a friend of mine and it is nonsense to talk about such things. Baturin – I do not know who he is.. It is a primitive Russian scenario, the Georgian Legion has created lots of trouble for Russia and now they are trying to take revenge.”
Giorgi Meladze, Associate Professor of Ilia State University and Director of the organization CANVAS: “The SSSG is talking about coups… as it always does, and this time it is also about the organization CANVAS. I am currently the director of CANVAS Georgia and I am not planning any coup. The only purpose of their statement is to intimidate active people! A statement against me was circulated in the spring. The author of the statement was [Irakli] Kobakhidze, and even then he called me an “extremist.” I have worked with many groups and activists over the past 20 years, and it is valuable for me to think and act together with active people in civil society to create better governance systems. What SSSG is doing today, I have heard such statements from authoritarian states.”
Mihail Baturin, the former bodyguard of the protection service of ex-President Saakashvili: “This is complete delirium. They will probably organize provocations and blame the population. This behavior shows that the current government is leading Georgia in the wrong direction, with its anti-Western rhetoric and anti-Western actions. Unfortunately, when the whole free world has distanced itself from Russia, from Russian aggression, the Russian administration in Georgia is trying its best to implement Russian policy in Georgia.”
Government and its allies
Shalva Papuashvili, Georgian Dream, Chairman of the Parliament: “These are the results of the investigation, which is based on relevant evidence. All of this was partly noticed by the public, they saw what the radical opposition sometimes leads the public to, and this is not their first attempt to come to power through destruction and bypassing the elections. So, of course, this is a serious problem. It is important that, on the one hand, the State Security Service warned the public about it, provided information in advance, and on the other hand, we have already seen the investigative materials on Gia Lortkipanidze, who was exposed for the second time for the organization of conspiracies against Georgia. This person – Georgian by nationality, non-Georgian in his soul and heart, is trying to create unrest in Georgia.”
Givi Mikanadze, Georgian Dream, Chairman of the Education and Science Committee of the Parliament: “The radicals cannot achieve rehabilitation in a society and cannot gain any trust to make at least some progress in a legitimate way. Instead, the radical wing has been complete lustrated, took off the mask and finally convinced the public that their only intention and goal is their own, personal and narrow party interests. Against this background, they see that they have no chance and no perspective, both in 2024 and in the subsequent elections, and already, in advance, they are trying to use every possible moment as much as possible and cause destabilization in Georgia.”
Guram Macharashvili, “People’s Power” majority MP: “We had a lot of evidence, which we presented to the public, and now the State Security Service has officially confirmed it. It has become known to the Georgian public that the insidious plans that the representatives of the radical opposition had and have against their own state and homeland, both in Georgia and abroad, are real… We should be cautious because there are enemies of Georgia both inside and outside the country who are irritated by Georgia’s success, peace and economic development and want to disintegrate the country and open a second front.”
Vato Shakarishvili, founder of the Georgia First public movement: “The State Security Service, by presenting concrete facts, persons and connections, has confirmed what we have known for a long time – the scenario of “Maidanization” of the streets of Tbilisi has been developed outside the country. The supporters of the global war party want to replace the government, which has put the interests of its own country and people above the interests of foreign countries, with victims, blood and chaos. Against the background of the failed Ukrainian counter-offensive, the second front is as relevant today as ever!… Georgia is on the path of peace and stability, from which it will be very difficult for the current U.S. administration, which is already facing a disaster, to remove it; so time is running out, urgent “Maidanization” in October-December … I advise all those who are expected to be involved in this scenario through propaganda to review the “experience” of Ukraine… and those who are planning this and knowingly get involved in the chaos of our barely pacified country, should know that in addition to the law, they will have to answer to the Georgian people.”
Opposition and its allies
Levan Khabeishvili, United National Movement: “To save Partskhaladze, Russian spies came into action and confirmed that the State Security Service is also under the influence of Partskhaladze, i.e. the Russian FSB. The statement of another Russian spy, Security Service Grigol Liluashvili’s statement about the coup is a proof of Russian influence in state institutions. This statement makes it clear that the circle of spies is much larger than anyone can imagine.”
Paata Manjgaladze, Strategy Agmashenebeli: “Partskhaladze’s cadres are not only in the Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Police, but also in the State Security Service. They are trying to cover up a big scandal about the disclosure of a large network of Russian agents, which the U.S. State Department has been talking about, and that is why they planned the so-called special operation “Saving Private Parstkhaladze.”
Davit Usupashvili, Lelo: “It has become a habit for the government to announce a disaster every autumn and spring, as if they know for sure that someone is going to stage a coup, that someone is going to attack Georgia with weapons or is organizing something here. So far, we have not seen a single specific person or a single fact that the law enforcement officers have investigated… it seems that they are expecting a difficult political situation in October-December and now they are announcing it. We, the Lelo party, can no longer take this information seriously. As for the coup, we do not participate in it, neither in reality nor in fairy tales and in general, we distance ourselves from those who think about it and those who speculate about it.”
Mikheil Daushvili, the parliamentary political group “For Georgia”: “Since they are making this statement, then they should show the public where this all comes from, and if there is something to investigate, then of course, they should investigate it, and if someone has committed a crime, then those people should be punished… I cannot tell you whether all this is preventive or not. One thing is for sure that if a crime is being prepared or if a crime has been committed, it must be investigated and certain steps must be taken.”
Iago Khvichia, Girchi : “It is a witch hunt, like when the Soviet Union was fighting foreign agents and preparing its own people as if they [the agents] were organizing something in the country.”
Elene Khoshtaria, Droa: “In short, I am not going to talk about this delirium, the real agenda is Partskhaladze and the Georgian Dream embracing with Russia’s FSB. It is time to learn the tricks they learned in Russia.”
Zurab Japaridze, Girchi-More Freedom: “They [GD] have accumulated a lot of negativity recently…They need to divert the attention… And they need to pre-empt street protests in the event of a refusal of status from Brussels… They need to prepare the background; maybe they’ll have to arrest people.”
Kakha Okriashvili, Progress and Freedom: “SSSG reacted to the sanctioning of the Russian agent Otar Partskhaladze by the U.S. State Department with a statement on the coup! Today, the SSSG has released information not about a potential but about an already planned so-called coup. The SSSG has made similar statements many times in the past, and all of them turned out to be lies and fakes.”
Nika Gvaramia, the founder of Mtavari Arkhi TV, responded to the statement on social media: “Another delirium of the SSSG has been published from the series “Revolution of Tires.” The aim is to cover the news about Partskhaladze and the government plane turned into a taxi. They named random names, surnames, organizations and left three dots, as if they still have the names and surnames of some people and have not named them yet. They have announced a new season of “witch hunt” and have practically confirmed that they know that the country cannot get the status…either provide hard and direct evidence, or we will ignore your delirium.”
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
