Georgian Dream Uses Espionage Cases to Project Neutrality

Georgian Dream Uses Espionage Cases to Project Neutrality

Executive Summary:

• The State Security Service of Georgia detained Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, the head of the pro-Russian non-governmental organization (NGO), the Eurasia Institute, and Irakli Chikhladze, founder of the Tbilisi-registered Caucasian Center for Civil Hearings, under charges of espionage in favor of Russia.
• Georgian Dream portrays the espionage arrests as evidence of equal vigilance toward Russia and the West, while critics argue the government is creating a false equivalency that obscures the primary security threat posed by Russia.
• The high-profile prosecutions reflect Georgian Dream’s broader strategy of reinforcing domestic loyalty and asserting foreign policy independence, using espionage cases to counter accusations of pro-Russian bias while warning political allies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and state officials.

On May 30, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) reported that Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, the head of the pro-Russian non-governmental organization (NGO), the Eurasia Institute, had been detained on espionage charges. According to the SSSG, Rtskhiladze had systematic, high-level, conspiratorial contacts with representatives of foreign intelligence agencies, passing them information electronically and in personal meetings, at times meeting with them for briefings and conspiracy outside of Georgia (SSSG, May 30; SOVA, May 31; see EDM, June 24). These meetings provided details about “ongoing political and economic developments in Georgia and the wider region, including neighboring countries, as well as the situation within law enforcement agencies and security structures” (OC-Media, June 1). The agency also alleged that Rtskhiladze operated “an intelligence network composed of various individuals” under the cover of an online platform and distributed “funds received from foreign intelligence services” (Kavkaz-Uzel, June 1).

The SSSG also detained Irakli Chikhladze, founder of the Tbilisi-registered Caucasian Center for Civil Hearings. Chikhladze is a journalist, editor, and director of several public organizations and media projects. He is associated with the Eurasia Media Union, the Caucasus Institute for Human Rights, and the Caucasus Center for Civil Hearings (Kommersant, May 31). Both Chikhladze and Rtskhiladze have been charged with espionage in favor of Russia under Part 1 of Article 314 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of up to 12 years’ imprisonment. These high-profile arrests are part of a foreign and domestic “policy game” by Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party.

Lasha Golubiani, Rtskhiladze’s attorney, says his client categorically denies the charges against him and considers himself innocent (Democracy & Freedom Watch, June 1). He stated that Russia could be involved, but he could neither confirm nor deny it at this point. He added that there is no direct or indirect evidence supporting the espionage allegations (1tv.ge, May 31). Golubiani also stated that Rtskhiladze believes his detention is connected to the creation of the Council for Monitoring Russophobia (see EDM, May 26; JAM-News, June 4) Golubiani further argued that if Rtskhiladze’s “activities were aimed at anything, it was to normalize relations between Russia and Georgia and prevent any war or disaster in the country” (Kavkaz-Uzel, June 1). Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Rtskhiladze had openly supported the normalization of Russian–Georgian relations for many years. She also linked his detention to the announcement of the Council for Monitoring Russophobia and expressed hope that the Georgian authorities would clarify the situation (RIA Novosti, June 4).

Chikhladze’s lawyer, Giorgi Gelkhauri, stated that his client has absolutely nothing to do with espionage activity and that the materials presented by the investigation do not support the charges brought against him (JAM-News, May 31).  He reported that after reviewing the case files, the defense found no evidence of Chikhladze’s activity against Georgia’s interests. He stated, “I have never seen such absurdity. Irakli has absolutely nothing to do with any espionage activity” (SOVA; JAM-News, May 31). Gelkhauri also denied any link between Chikhladze’s case and Rtskhiladze’s, despite them being detained on the same day on similar charges (JAM-News, May 31).

On May 5, Giorgi Udzilauri, the head of the Public Relations Department at the Georgian Finance Ministry’s Investigative Service and a former press secretary of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, was arrested on charges of spying for a “European country” (1tv.ge, May 7). Mamuka Mdinaradze, the newly appointed State Minister for Coordination of Law Enforcement Bodies, hinted that the “European country” SSSG mentioned is France. (Interpressnews, June 1; see EDM, June 24). French outlet Intelligence Online confirmed this information on June 5 and reported that the Directorate General for External Security (DSGE), France’s foreign intelligence agency, had recruited Udzilauri, describing the operation as a “successful maneuver” that was ultimately uncovered by Georgian counterintelligence. After the arrest, the Georgian government ordered Western countries to withdraw their spies operating in Georgia. The DGSE reportedly complied, recalling two officers posted at the French Embassy in Tbilisi to Paris (Intelligence Online, June 3; Civil Georgia; JAM-News, June 4).

Udzilauri describes his detention as politically motivated. He claims that one of the main reasons he became a target was his criticism of the authorities’ anti-Western course. Udzilauri also argues that Georgian Dream, which he helped create, no longer exists in its original form and says the ruling party is willing to sacrifice former allies “without batting an eyelid” (JAM-News, June 3; OC-Media, June 4).

Many Georgian experts are confident that these three cases are connected, if not legally, then by the authorities’ desire to demonstrate independence from both Russia and the West. Teona Akubardia, deputy secretary of Georgia’s National Security Council in 2014–2018 and deputy chair of the Defense and Security Parliamentary Committee during 2021–2024, said in her June 5 interview with this author that by claiming that Georgia faces threats not only from occupant Russia but also from Western intelligence services, “Georgian Dream is attempting to create a false equivalency between friend and foe.” Akubardia stipulated that “this tactic manipulates public opinion by manufacturing a paranoid ‘besieged fortress’ narrative, suggesting that the West poses at least the same existential threat to Georgia as Russia.” Akubardia concluded, “Ultimately, this rhetoric serves to downplay the real danger posed by Russian occupation” (Author’s interview, June 5).

Paata Zakareishvili, former Georgian state minister for reconciliation and civic equality in 2012– 2016, is sure that these three arrests are different episodes in the same “game.” Zakareishvili asserted that the authorities “are trying to demonstrate their independence from both Russia and the West.” He continued, “Udzilauri was a member of their team. His arrest is a message for Georgian Dream activists and a warning to everyone working in government structures.” At the same time, as Zakareishvili mentioned, “Rtskhiladze was a pro-Russian activist, and Chikhladze was a representative of the NGO sector. In all cases, it is a warning about loyalty” and “an attempt to mobilize supporters under the slogan: ‘We are not pro-Russian, we are independent of everyone.’” Zakareishvili noted that “those arrested are not public leaders but secondary or tertiary figures. In any case, however, their arrest is a very resonant public event” (Author’s interview, June 5).

This is one of the first instances of Georgian Dream targeting their own for pro-Russian sentiments. For years, the opposition has criticized Georgia’s ruling party because Georgian intelligence services, as Khatia Dekanoidze, a member of the political council of the United National Movement (UNM), the main opposition party led by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and former head of the National Police of Ukraine, “have failed to arrest a single Russian spy over all these years” (Author’s interview, October 15, 2025). These accusations of ineffectiveness hurt the ruling party’s ratings, but the real steps to combat external influence were directed not only against Russia but also against Western partners, in line with Georgian Dream’s general policy of creating a “balance” of interests.