Investigation alleges Russian money behind political party in neighboring Georgia

Since 2016, Russia has been supervising and financing a Georgian opposition party called the Alliance of Patriots. According to a new report from the Dossier Center, the alliance is supervised by the Moscow-based company “Politsecrets” and is allegedly guided by Kremlin Associate Vladimir Chernov, Chief of the Russian Presidential Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Countries. The directorate was established in 2005 by Vladimir Putin, with the initial objective of thwarting “colored revolutions.” Additional documents released in August, 2020, allege that Russian security services crafted a $8 million election campaign for the party ahead of the October parliamentary vote. These documents also provide evidence that the Kremlin provided step-by-step instructions to the Alliance of Patriots. The Alliance of Patriots adheres to Russian foreign policy objectives by promoting anti-Western rhetoric by stoking fear of the threat that “western liberal” ideology poses to Georgian society, revitalizing ethnic and political division, emphasizing Georgian geopolitical non-alignment and demilitarization, and presenting Turkey as the true geopolitical threat in the region. The Kremlin aims to keep the country unstable and derail it from its Euro-Atlantic path. The Dossier Center also indicated that Sputnik Georgia, EurAsia Daily, REGNUM, and the political center “North-South” were assigned with providing media support for the Alliance of Patriots.

About This Incident

Incident Metadata

Date: 2016-August 2020
Country: Georgia