Starting October 25, Russian media actively circulated claims that Ukraine is sending people to Georgia to incite provocations for the elections. Russian state media Tass wrote that a 1997-born Ukrainian citizen, former member of the Azov Regiment – Zakro Avaliani, is already in Tbilisi for this mission.
On October 28, a video was posted on the Telegram channel “Мрия 2025” showing protesters in front of the Georgian Parliament moving toward police, who are retreating. According to the video description, “Goncharenko brought professional protesters to Georgia.”
The same video was shared on a Russian-language Facebook account, based on the “Мрия 2025” post.
The disseminated video is old and being circulated with a misleading description. The footage is actually from a protest in May against the so-called “agents’ law” and has no connection to Goncharenko or the 2024 parliamentary elections.
On October 25, Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian MP, posted on social network X that he had arrived in Tbilisi to observe the October 26 elections as part of the PACE mission. On October 27, an information-analytical organization published a video showing Goncharenko in Tbilisi, where a Russian-speaking man approaches him and asks what he is doing there. The video is captioned with a claim that Goncharenko is “wandering the empty streets of Tbilisi, searching for a Gen-ZRevolution.”
On October 28, the Telegram channel “Мрия 2025” published a video implying that Goncharenko had brought professional protesters to Tbilisi. In reality, this footage was taken on May 14 and is related to the anti-“agents’ law” protest in Tbilisi. The video shows protesters moving towards the police.
It is noteworthy that the first large-scale protest following the October 26 elections is scheduled for today, October 28, at 7:00 p.m., organized by Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, and no protests have occurred prior to this.
As for the narrative that Ukrainians are planning a “Maidan” in Georgia, Russian media frequently promotes this during various political events. According to Kremlin-controlled media Tass, a former member of the Azov Regiment, Zakro Avaliani, has already been sent to Georgia to incite provocations for the 2024 parliamentary elections.
“Myth Detector” contacted the Ministry of Internal Affairs to verify whether Ukrainian citizen Zakro Avaliani, who the Kremlin presents as a coordinator of an extremist group, is indeed in Georgia. The press office explained that this is personal information and, therefore, cannot be provided. “Myth Detector” is currently investigating whether Zakro Avaliani has any connection to the Azov Regiment. If additional information is obtained, the article will be updated.
Notably, during the March 2023 protests against the so-called “agents’ law,” Russian media also spread disinformation claiming that the protests were primarily attended by Ukrainians. This narrative was echoed in Russian propaganda programs by Shota Apkhaidze and Lali Moroshkina.
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