On September 15, 16, and 17, a disinformation-spreading account named “Ramaz Margvelashvili” published (1;2) and shared in a fake pro-Mikheil Saakashvili Facebook group, “Mikheil Saakashvili Hope for Georgia” (1;2;3), quotes falsely attributed to opposition politicians Elene Khoshtaria and Nika Gvaramia, as well as singer Paata Burchuladze. The social media card about Nika Gvaramia features the logo of the media outlet Mtavari and includes a quote allegedly taken from a letter sent by the politician from prison: “Why did I even get into politics? I should have just stayed in my own place. What business of mine was the United National Movement? But your damned hunger was never satisfied. Serves me right, serves me right.”
Similarly, the words of Elene Khoshtaria are circulated with the Mtavari logo, where she allegedly talks about delivering a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The social media card presents the following text from a letter sent from detention: “Putin has transferred a lot of money to me, and I couldn’t deliver one gift. He didn’t forgive me for that, and that’s why they sent me to the jail.”
As for Paata Burchuladze, his quote is circulated with the logo of the online media outlet Tabula. The social media card includes the following words attributed to him: “Don’t gossip about me, what I smoke, and how much I smoke. I have nothing to hide from anyone. I have got the means and the chance to smoke something that really gets you high.”
In the pro-Saakashvili group, fake quotes attributed to opposition politicians and singer Paata Burchuladze are being circulated, using media logos. Quotes of similar content have not appeared on the official websites of media outlets or on the personal social media accounts of these individuals.
- Nika Gvaramia’s Fake Quote
The quote attributed to Nika Gvaramia, leader of the political party Ahali, in which he supposedly speaks negatively about entering politics, cannot be found in open sources. Trusted media (1, 2, 3) have not published such a quote, and Gvaramia himself has not posted it on his social media accounts (Facebook; X). After his arrest, Gvaramia publicly shared multiple letters on his Facebook. The latest letter, discussing ongoing events in the country, was published on September 16. Mtavari quickly circulated it in the form of a social media card. It is likely that this post and social media card were used to fabricate the quote. In the real letter, Gvaramia discusses conflicts among so-called clans within the Georgian Dream party.
Source: Mtavari
Nika Gvaramia was sentenced to 8 months in prison on July 1 for failing to appear before the temporary parliamentary investigative commission.
- Elene Khoshtaria’s Fake Quote
Like Gvaramia, Elene Khoshtaria’s fake quote is circulated using the Mtavari logo and a social media card. Khoshtaria was detained on September 16 for writing on the campaign banner of Tbilisi mayoral candidate Kakha Kaladze. While in detention, she issued two statements that were published on her Facebook profile. Notably, none of these statements mention delivering a gift to Vladimir Putin.
After her detention, her statements were shared by Mtavari. One social media card, published on the media’s Facebook page on September 15, used the same photo of Khoshtaria. It is likely that the visual image of this social media card was used to disseminate the fake quote. In reality, Khoshtaria speaks about her detention and her acts of disobedience.
Source: Mtavari
No statements from the politician about sending gifts to Putin were found in the media (1; 2; 3)
Pro-government actors occasionally allege that Khoshtaria’s family received money from Russia. Shortly after her arrest, Imedi TV reported that her father, Gogi Khoshtaria, received 9 million rubles. In 2024, Elene Khoshtaria explained what this money is and how it is used as “propaganda rubles” by her opponents. According to her, performances created by the outstanding Soviet ballet and opera designer Soliko Virsaladze are staged in leading opera houses around the world, and her father and cousins receive income from copyright royalties by inheritance.
- Paata Burchuladze’s Fake Quote
The statement attributed to Paata Burchuladze regarding drug use is also fake. Unlike opposition politicians, the opera singer’s quote is circulated with the Tabula logo and a social media card-style visual.
Attempts to find Burchuladze’s quote on Tabula’s Facebook page show that a social media card with the same photo was published by the media outlet on September 16. In reality, Burchuladze’s statements concern the protest scheduled for October 4, with no mention of drug use.
Source: Tabula
The discrediting campaign against the opera singer Paata Burchuladze intensified after he became actively involved in the ongoing civil protests.
- What Do We Know about the Facebook Group “Mikheil Saakashvili Hope for Georgia”
The Facebook group “Mikheil Saakashvili Hope for Georgia” includes both Saakashvili supporters and anonymous anti-opposition accounts. The group was created on May 5, 2020, and is currently managed by four accounts (Ipo Chachua, Firuz Aivazov, Mari Na, Marina Kakachia). One of these accounts, “Ipo Chachua,” no longer publishes public posts in the group or on her personal page but previously shared pro-Saakashvili posts and, in October 2020, began sharing posts from POSTV to discredit the United National Movement. All posts on Chachua’s personal page aimed at discrediting Saakashvili, and she also liked Facebook pages associated with the Georgian Dream and created to discredit the opposition.
The account “Ramaz Margvelashvili” actively shares posts in the group, mainly fake quotes of opposition politicians and posts against the media. Myth Detector has previously reported on these:
Thus, it appears this user created a false supporter group to mislead Saakashvili supporters. A detailed report on the group and the false information published there can be found here:
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