What Do We Know About the ‘Anti-Maidan’ Group and Its Administrators?

Following Georgian Dream’s decision to remove negotiations with the European Union from its agenda, effectively halting the country’s EU integration process, protest rallies erupted across Georgia. In response, two Facebook groups were created on December 1 and 2: “Anti-Maidan!” and “Anti-Maidan Movement.” Within two days, the latter rebranded itself as “Healthy Force.” These groups represent a continuation of the Kremlin-backed anti-Maidan campaigns initiated in Georgia during the Euromaidan protests of 2013–2014.

The administrators of the newly created groups include a media representative aligned with a pro-government editorial policy, two current and former municipal employees, several members and supporters of Georgian Dream, three athletes, and a pro-government troll who uses another person’s photo on their profile to appear credible. These recently created Facebook groups aim to discredit the protests and promote anti-Western narratives.

• What do we know about the “Anti-Maidan” Facebook group

On December 1, Facebook user Giorgi Churghulia announced the creation of the group “Anti-Maidan!” In one of his posts, he emphasizes that the group must become a “great force” dedicated to defending the country and the state. He also claims that since 2012, the people have “carried the state on their shoulders,” while those currently protesting lead it into the abyss.

As of December 4, the group has 18 administrators and 7 moderators.

The administrators of the Facebook group “Anti-Maidan” include Lisa Gegechkori, an anchor at pro-government editorial media POSTV; Nikoloz Esitashvili, an employee of the Telavi Municipal Assembly; Zaza Partsvania, a former deputy director of the Zugdidi Municipality Library Management Center; and Giorgi Churgulia and Davit Akhrakhadze, both affiliated with Georgian Dream. The group’s administration also features pro-government athletes such as former football player Beka Gotsiridze, karate athlete Luka Khvedeliani, and drifter Lasha Kapanadze. Additionally, Gvanca Beridze, a pro-government troll (archived link), recently joined as an administrator. Among the other administrators, two accounts (Kartveli Kartveli and Tom Daniels) are newly created, and one (Iago Silagava) lacks identifying information. Notably, a later-added administrator, known as “Zhurnalisti,” remains anonymous, and with the primary goal of discrediting civil activists rather than journalists or opposition politicians.

Group Administrators on December 2-4

• What do we know about the “Anti-Maidan” Facebook group’s administrators?

Lisa Gegechkori hosts the “Media Rentgeni” program on POSTV, a platform with a pro-government editorial stance.

Unlike the group’s creator, Gegechkori actively disseminates posts discrediting protest participants. For instance, she spreads claims that citizens are paid 200 GEL for each hour they attend the protests. She also attempts to organize users to report news agencies that hinder Georgian Dream’s efforts to win the “information warfare.”

Nikoloz Esitashvili serves in the Public Relations Department of the Telavi Municipal Assembly. His profile indicates that between 2012 and 2020, he worked for the news agency “Kakheti Khma” and also served as a reporter for “Prime Time.”

Zaza Partsvania previously held the position of deputy director at the Zugdidi Municipality Library Management Center. In 2019, he posted offensive remarks targeting civil activists. Partsvania also expressed support for then-MP Emzar Kvitsiani, who physically and verbally assaulted protesters near the parliament on September 8, stating, “Emzar is an amazing guy” and adding, “Chickens, don’t go to the street, Emzari will catch you, s**** you, and let you go.”

Like Lisa Gegechkori, Partsvania spreads claims that activists are being paid to attend the rally. However, according to his post, the payment is significantly lower, 30-30 and sometimes 40- 40 GEL per participant.

Pro-government media outlets “Imedi” and “POSTV” portray Davit Akhrakhadze as a victim of November 7. However, in 2020, reports revealed that Akhrakhadze, a member of the “Georgian Dream” party, had been arrested on charges of domestic violence against his wife and mother-in-law.

Nino Kvaratskhelia, one of the group’s administrators, shares posts and information in support of the “Georgian Dream”. According to research by Myth Detector, she was an activist for the Patriots Alliance in 2020. Kvaratskhelia is also known for disseminating fake news targeting the opposition.

Former football player Beka Gotsiridze serves as one of the administrators of “Anti-Maidan.” Gotsiridze disseminates posts discrediting and insulting protest participants, while also voicing support for the government and threatening protesters with appropriate retaliation.

On December 4, Lasha Kapanadze was added to the list of administrators. Kapanadze, identified as an athlete in his profile, is featured on the drifters’ platform driftseries.ge.

According to his Facebook profile, Luka Khvedeliani is a Georgian karate champion and a multiple-time world and European champion. He primarily disseminates videos aimed at discrediting the protests.

Among the administrators of the Facebook group “Anti-Maidan” is Gvanca Beridze, a pro-government troll who uses photos of Moldovan user Евелина Фурсенко (Evelina Fursenko) on her profile to lend it credibility. Beridze is part of a network exposed by “Myth Detector” and disseminates posts from the Facebook page “Ar Agarevinebt.” Additionally, Gvanca Beridze lists Silknet – სილქნეტი as her workplace and თბილისის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი • Tbilisi State University as her educational background. She has also liked pages previously associated with identified trolls. The fake account spreads posts from “Ar Agarevinebt” within the group to discredit the protest.

• What do we know about the “Anti-Maidan Movement” Facebook group?

The Facebook page “Anti-Maidan Movement,” created on December 2 and renamed to “Healthy Force” two days later, has fewer members than the original group. The group was initially managed by three accounts: Analytical Portal, Analytical Page, Mariam Kurtanidze. Analytical Portal and Analytical Page are linked to Irakli Jankarashvili and his platform publicist.ge.

On December 4, the Facebook group was renamed to “Healthy Force.” According to Irakli Jankarashvili, the group’s creator, he changed the name as a result of questions about his group, as he mentioned in the comments of one of the posts.

The number of administrators has been updated, and as of December 4, the group is managed by the Facebook profiles “Analytical Page” and “Premieri“.

In addition to posts discrediting participation in rallies and protests, the photo of a “gay couple” was also disseminated in the group, which was actually generated by artificial intelligence. Fact-checkers have flagged the photo as disinformation.

The group’s administrator, Jankarashvili, was initially an active supporter of the “Alliance of Patriots” before switching his allegiance to the “Georgian Dream” a few months before the parliamentary elections. He was also the author of Tvalsazrisi.ge and News Front Georgia. Jankarashvili has consistently spread disinformation and manipulated information through various accounts, Facebook pages, and platforms, and has participated in discrediting campaigns multiple times. He currently manages the Facebook page publicist.ge, where he posts pro-government and anti-Western content, along with other types of information from his platform, Publicist.ge. Jankarashvili also operates a Facebook profile called Premieri, which is used to publish posts supporting the “Georgian Dream.”

• What is the origin of the “Anti-Maidan” campaign?

The Anti-Maidan Campaign is a Kremlin-supported initiative designed to undermine the 2013–2014 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine. It depicts Euromaidan as a Western-backed coup and portrays its participants as extremists. The campaign seeks to discredit and delegitimize the Ukrainian protests.

In Ukraine, Anti-Maidan protesters supported President Viktor Yanukovych and his policies, advocating for closer ties with Russia. Participants in this movement were typically government employees, students, or residents from regions like Donetsk and Crimea.

In January 2015, the Anti-Maidan movement was established in Russia, led by the director of the veterans’ organization Combat Fraternity. The movement’s goal was to oppose any opposition group attempting to stage a coup or color revolution against the Russian government.

It’s worth mentioning that in October 2023, the pro-Russian party “Conservative Movement” announced the so-called Anti-Maidan. On September 25, 2023, party leaders Zura Makharadze, Giorgi Kardava, Shota Martinenko, and Irakli Martinenko held a briefing where they discussed the need to mobilize “like-minded forces” to counter a supposed coup attempt in Georgia. This announcement came after a statement from the State Security Service on September 18, which claimed that “a certain group of individuals operating within and outside Georgia” had planned to incite destabilization and civil unrest between October and December 2023 in order to forcefully change the government. The agency also mentioned that the organizers were considering a scenario similar to the 2014 “Euromaidan” in Georgia.

The Anti-Maidan movement, originally a Russian-led initiative, has expanded its influence, particularly in the post-Soviet region. Notably, an Anti-Maidan-themed Facebook group was also created in Sweden. The “Swedish Anti-Euromaidan” group was formed to mock the movement and served as a platform for spreading conspiracy theories and propaganda. According to Finnish journalist Jessica Aro, the group shared videos portraying Ukraine as a Nazi state and distributed materials from Russia Today. An active member, journalist Mai Wexelman, was a prominent promoter of Russian propaganda. He was linked to the organization Swedish Doctors for Human Rights (SWEDHR), which supported the Kremlin’s positions. Wexelman, along with others, launched a discrediting campaign against academic Martin Krag, including filing complaints about his research at Uppsala University. Although the university did not confirm any academic dishonesty on Krag’s part, his reputation suffered.

Other group members, including Egor Putilov, participated in Russian influence operations designed to undermine academics studying Kremlin influence.

Anti-Maidan groups aim to weaken local opposition forces and support political factions loyal to the Kremlin. Numerous Anti-Maidan-like Facebook groups exist on social media. These movements oppose the spread of Western values, seek to discredit dissenting opinions and employ propaganda campaigns to bolster pro-Russian positions while undermining democratic protest movements.

Facebook pages in Ukraine and other countries created around the Anti-Maidan theme