On July 5, in the “ERI Media” program “Perspective,” the hosts discussed the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and the 2024 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly resolution. Levan Vasadze claimed that there is suspicion that among the snipers who killed around 100 demonstrators in Ukraine in 2014, some were Georgians. He also claimed that as a result of the Ukrainian revolution, the nationalist “Azov Battalion” came to power. Artist Shota Glurjidze and Levan Vasadze also talked about selling Ukrainian lands to the investment company BlackRock, claiming the company demands that Ukrainian soldiers not be buried on the lands it purchased. Vasadze also mentioned that there is a lot of evidence regarding the organ trafficking of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Glurjidze and another host, Erekle Khitalishvili, claimed that Olena Zelenska bought a car worth 4 million USD.
The hosts spread several pieces of disinformation:
- The phrase “Tbilisi-controlled Georgia, Abkhazia, and Ossetia” did not appear in the final declaration of the 31st Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
- There is no evidence of Georgian snipers participating in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.
- The “Azov Battalion” did not come to power in Ukraine after the 2014 revolution.
- It is false that BlackRock purchased Ukrainian lands and banned the burial of Ukrainian soldiers there.
- The information about the organ trafficking of fallen Ukrainian soldiers is part of the Kremlin propaganda and lacks evidence.
- Olena Zelenska did not purchase a car worth 4 million USD.
The Final Version of the OSCE Declaration Does Not Refer to Abkhazia and Samachablo as Separate Territories
At the beginning of the show, host Erekle Khitalishvili read a statement by the “Georgian Dream” party about the final declaration of the 31st Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which referred to the “strange construction” of “Tbilisi-controlled Georgia, Abkhazia, and Ossetia.” According to Levan Vasadze, the Georgian government should file a lawsuit against the OSCE in an appropriate body in response to such an entry.
Levan Vasadze: “I think one should file a lawsuit now in Strasbourg or The Hague or wherever the instance is against the OSCE, which dared to write this formulation for the first time…”
Nikoloz Samkharadze, the head of the Georgian delegation at the OSCE Assembly, did indeed make such a statement, protesting the phrase “the reconciliation of Tbilisi-controlled Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia” alongside points critical of the “Georgian Dream.”
From the dialogue between the hosts of the program, it seems as though the Assembly adopted the declaration with this entry. In reality, this phrase was removed from the declaration’s text on July 3 and did not make it into the final version of the document. However, Georgia still did not support the adopted declaration.
For more detailed information about the declaration and the disinformation spread about it, see “Myth Detector’s” material:
There is NO Evidence to support the claim that Georgian Snipers were in Ukraine
In the next part of the show, the hosts discussed the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Levan Vasadze claimed that after Victoria Nuland (then U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs) visited the protests and handed out pastries to the demonstrators, some of them were killed by snipers, and there is suspicion that among the snipers were Georgians.
Levan Vasadze: “I want to remind you how it all started: Victoria Nuland, who was the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States, went to Kyiv… and was distributing pastries to the revolutionaries who were trying to overthrow Viktor Yanukovych, the legitimately elected president of Ukraine, who did not want to confront Russia at the expense of Europe. After that, about a hundred of these demonstrators were killed by snipers shooting from nearby windows or hotel windows… with bullets among which, unfortunately, there is suspicion that there were Georgian killers.”
The claim that Georgian snipers opened fire on Ukrainian demonstrators in February 2014 is a Kremlin narrative that has been spread for years and is not based on factual evidence. In reality, the tragedy of February 20 remains uninvestigated, and Georgians do not appear among the suspects. The Russian version contradicts existing evidence, including witness testimonies. According to the investigation, the demonstrators were shot by a special police unit, but not all of them could be identified. Additionally, the investigation was hindered by some law enforcement officers fleeing the country. At least 18 suspects were sheltered by Russia and granted citizenship. Despite this, in 2023, the Svyatoshynsky District Court of Kyiv found three members of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry’s “Berkut” unit guilty of killing unarmed demonstrators and one guilty of abusing his authority.
The Kremlin propaganda media outlets and associated individuals have repeatedly spread disinformation on this topic, which “Myth Detector” has verified multiple times. For more detailed information, see:
- Fake Documentary on Hired Georgian Snipers’ Participation in Maidan Events
- TV Obieqtivi Disseminates a Conspiracy Movie that Repeats Kremlin’s Narrative about the Maidan Events
- Channel One of Russia Voices Recurring Disinformation About 2014 Maidan Events and Georgian Snipers
No Far-Right Forces Came to Power in Ukraine After the Revolution
Vasadze also claimed that nationalists came to power in Ukraine as a result of the revolution in the form of the Azov Battalion.
Levan Vasadze: “A revolution takes place, as a result of which nationalists come to power in Ukraine with Hitler’s swastikas and tattoos on their bodies – the Azov Battalion.”
In reality, after the Ukrainian parliament voted to oust Yanukovych on February 22, 2014, presidential elections were held in May, where Petro Poroshenko won, followed by parliamentary elections in October, where several pro-Western parties took the majority of the votes.
As for the Azov Battalion, it was founded by volunteers in 2014 and participated in the Donbas war. One of the founders, Andriy Biletsky, separated from Azov after it became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Kremlin has been spreading disinformation for years, portraying the Azov Brigade as a Nazi unit.
BlackRock Has Not Purchased Ukrainian Lands
Another host, artist Shota Glurjidze, and Levan Vasadze also talked about the American investment company BlackRock. They claimed that the company purchased Ukrainian lands and now demands that Ukrainian soldiers not be buried on their lands.
Shota Glurjidze: “What we can do is pray for Ukraine and not support this fratricidal war. We want it to stop, and if it stops today, it would be the best thing, and then negotiations can last for a hundred years, as long as people don’t die and don’t fall victim to this misery. And BlackRock does not declare that Ukrainian soldiers should not be buried on its purchased land because it is their land. This is the cynical state of Western…”
Levan Vasadze: “Let’s emphasize this because many do not know. An investment fund controlled by globalists, called BlackRock, which is purely a tool of globalist expansion, one of the largest investment funds in the world along with Vanguard and others, bought the black soil regions of Ukraine for pennies and now declared that this is their land, so do not make cemeteries there, and do not bury fallen Ukrainian soldiers on my property. Do you understand what we are dealing with, people?!”
This claim is false and based on information initially spread on a Russian satirical Telegram channel. In reality, foreign companies are prohibited from purchasing agricultural land in Ukraine, and BlackRock’s director did not make such a statement. For more details on this disinformation, see “Myth Detector’s” article:
No Evidence Exists of Organ Trafficking of Fallen Ukrainian Soldiers
Vasadze also claimed that the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers are used as donors in the organ trafficking business.
Levan Vasadze: “There is already practically documented sea of material evidence that the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers are used as organ donors in the organ trafficking business.”
This information is another part of the Kremlin propaganda, which has been spread over the years using various falsified evidence. The Russian side has yet to present solid evidence of a large-scale organ trafficking scheme. Various false reports on this topic have been debunked by “Myth Detector” multiple times. For detailed information, see:
- PRO-GOVERNMENT “I UCNOBI” AMPLIFIES THE KREMLIN CONSPIRACY ABOUT THE ALLEGED ORGAN TRAFFICKING IN UKRAINE
- RECURRING DISINFORMATION VOICED BY KREMLIN MEDIA REGARDING THE ALLEGED ORGAN TRADE IN UKRAINE
- RECURRING DISINFORMATION BY PRO-KREMLIN MEDIA ABOUT ORGAN TRADING IN UKRAINE
- DISINFORMATION, AS IF THE AMERICAN NON-PROFIT GSMSG IS ENGAGED IN THE ORGAN TRADING OF THE UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS
- REPEATED LIE BY PRO-KREMLIN ACTORS ABOUT TRADING ORGANS OF UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS
Olena Zelenksa Did not Buy a 4 Million Car
Another claim made by Glurjidze and the third host, Erekle Khitalishvili, concerns Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska. They claimed that Zelenska bought a car worth $4 million.
Shota Glurjidze: “And against this background, Mrs. Zelenska, it its not a rumor, is buying a new very expensive car for $4 million.”
Erekle Khitalishvili: “I think it is not a rumor, she bought the most expensive one.
Shota Glurjidze: Apparently, she paid 4 million or something, it is crazy.
The information about Zelenska purchasing an expensive car is not true. The initial reports were published on a website registered on June 22, where a fake invoice was presented as evidence. Additionally, the company Bugatti Paris denied that Zelenska is their client. For details on this disinformation, see the material by “Myth Detector.”
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