On February 23, 2025, a photo album was disseminated on social media, allegedly showing the Georgian delegation, namely, Irakli Kobakhidze and Maka Bochorishvili, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In the images, the politicians are seen holding a map of Georgia with the inscription, “Abkhazia and Samachablo are Georgia.”
The description of the post says that the meeting was held to restore Georgia’s territorial integrity and that as a result of dialogue with Russia, Georgia will soon “reclaim” Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.
Reactions to the post indicate that Facebook users perceive the images and information as real.
The circulated photos, which suggest that the Georgian delegation met with Russian officials, have been digitally altered. In images taken during various official visits, representatives and symbols of foreign countries have been replaced with Russian politicians and flags. No official meeting between Georgian and Russian parties took place.
The photos presented in the album do not reflect reality and are a manipulative montage of images taken during various official visits. In these edited photos, representatives and flags of other countries have been replaced with representatives of the Russian government and the Russian flag.
For example, in one of the photos in the album, the Azerbaijani flags have been replaced with Russian flags, and the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Georgia, Faig Guliyev, has been replaced with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. In reality, on December 26, 2024, representatives of the Georgian Dream party visited the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to sign the book of condolences for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft.
In another photo provided in the album, the flag of Kazakhstan has been replaced with the Russian flag, and instead of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the edited photo features Vladimir Putin. The original version of this photo was published on February 6, when Irakli Kobakhidze met with the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Yet another manipulated photo is from the meeting between Maka Bochorishvili and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan, Dovletmyrat Seyitmammedov, on January 24, 2025. In the manipulated photo, the Turkmenistan flag has been replaced with the Russian flag, and the Turkmen Ambassador has been replaced with Sergey Lavrov.
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Are Negotiations Taking Place Between Russia and Georgia?
Following the August 2008 war, Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Despite this, economic ties between the two countries were maintained and, in some sectors, even expanded under the rule of the Georgian Dream government. As of 2024, Russia remains one of Georgia’s largest trade partners, particularly in the energy, agriculture, and food industries. However, no steps have been taken toward restoring diplomatic relations yet. In July 2024, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied reports that Georgia and Russia were working on reestablishing diplomatic ties, calling it false information spread by opposition sources. In Georgia, pro-Russian political forces support the restoration of diplomatic relations, including the Solidarity for Peace party, the leader of European Socialists, Pridon Injia, and the Conservative Movement.
Russia’s official policy toward Georgia is clear – Moscow recognizes Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region as independent states and effectively controls them. The official policy of Russia vividly demonstrates that it does not support Georgia’s territorial integrity. Vladimir Putin’s statements reinforce this position. For instance, in 2019, Putin accused Georgia of occupying and committing genocide in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He claimed that in 1918, Georgia occupied Abkhazia, and in 1919-1920, it acted even more brutally in Ossetia. Putin compared these events to genocide, thus strengthening the stance of Russia, which portrays Georgia as an aggressor and not only rejects the reintegration of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region into Georgia but also does not shy away from attempts to rewrite history. Russia’s policy toward the occupied regions is not limited to statements. In 2017, Putin personally visited Sokhumi and met with the then-leader of separatist Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba. During the meeting, he openly declared that Russia is the guarantor of Abkhazia’s security and “independence.”
A few months ago, an AI-generated video was also circulated, in which Vladimir Putin appeared to discuss returning Abkhazia to Georgia. For more details on this, see the article by Myth Detector:
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