Georgia: A Proxy of the Russian State

“Georgia is becoming more and more pro-Russian almost every week,” former Georgian Defense Minister David Kezerashvili said in an interview with the Spectator, published on March 30.

During the Rose Revolution in 2003, Kezerashvili helped overthrow Georgia’s former Soviet government. He served as the nation’s defense minister during Russia’s 2008 invasion. He fled to London in 2012 after the Russia-backed Georgian government accused him of embezzling state funds. He remains in exile there today, still facing the consequences of standing up to Russia.

I’ve spotted strangers taking photos of me meeting people, and then somehow they appear on the tv channel Imedi, which is the pro-government, pro-Russian tv channel in Georgia. They show my meetings with my ex-colleagues or with business partners. It happens every few weeks.
—David Kezerashvili

The Georgian government recently initiated a case against Kezerashvili with the intent of taking away his only property left in Georgia to fight Russian influence: his pro-opposition tv station Formula.

Russia has a history of going after political enemies with ferocity, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is not afraid to take extreme measures against any who stand in the way of his desired Russian imperialism.

Putin’s poison: Last December, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, also known as “Misha,” claimed he had been “poisoned by Russian agents.” He has been detained by authorities in Tbilisi for over a year, suffering dramatic weight loss and severe ill health.

While questions have been raised regarding this claim, testing by United States toxicologists revealed a presence of heavy metals in Saakashvili’s body. Kezerashvili says this was a clear attempt by Putin to eliminate one of his political enemies and not a result of natural illness, as the Georgian government claims.

On multiple occasions, Putin promised that he would punish Misha. … Now he’s doing it with the hands of the Georgian government. It’s all according to this Kremlin playbook, if you like. But that’s how they treat their enemies and those they don’t like.
—David Kezerashvili

The majority of Georgians want closer ties with nato and the European Union, but the Russia-backed Georgian Dream government deliberately undermines this idea while strengthening its ties to Moscow.

Restoring the Russian empire: Putin called the demise of the Soviet empire the 20th century’s “greatest geopolitical catastrophe.” During his 23 years at the helm of Russia, he has worked hard to bring former Soviet nations like Georgia and Ukraine back under Russian control.

In his booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia,’ Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry writes: “Putin is doing everything he can to prevent Georgia, Ukraine and all other former Soviet countries from developing closer ties with Europe.” Putin’s dictatorial leadership, including his ambitions to restore the Russian empire, will help push mankind into an era of worldwide trouble.

To learn more, read “Putin and the ‘Greatest Catastrophe.’”