RUSSIA WILL TRY TO ARREST GEORGADZE.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said it has issued an arrest warrant for Igor Georgadze, the former Georgian security chief accused of masterminding the recent assassination attempt on Georgian head of state Eduard Shevardnadze. Georgia has asked Russia to extradite Georgadze, who, according to Georgian claims, is hiding in Moscow. (6)

Although Russia is on the surface trying to comply with its extradition treaty with Georgia, the effort looks half-hearted. On one hand, the Russians would like to satisfy the Georgian request in order to keep its part of the new understanding reached between Shevardnadze and Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin in Tbilisi last month. Chernomyrdin’s visit paved the way for new political and military cooperation between Russia and Georgia. But on the other hand, the Russian authorities have surrounded the Georgadze case with clouds of disinformation and rumors. After the recent attempt on Shevardnadze, many Russian newspapers published disinformation that Georgadze had been arrested in Tbilisi. When the Georgian authorities learned that he was in Moscow, they tried to link him to the FSB, which, of course, denied any connection with him. In reality, however, Georgadze was a veteran of the KGB’s foreign intelligence, and the agency which would know about him is the Russian foreign intelligence service, the SVR. Russia’s record in similar cases in the past suggests that it would be a great surprise if Georgadze were ever found.

No Surprises in Volgograd Elections.