Russia declares Georgian opposition party Droa 'undesirable organisation'

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated the Georgian opposition party Droa an “undesirable organisation”, citing its “strongly anti-Russian stance”.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office press service, Droa representatives oppose the normalisation of political, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations between Georgia and Russia. They also call for the reinstatement of visa requirements for Russian citizens and an end to direct flights between the two countries.

The Prosecutor General’s Office also accuses the party of considering Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) territories occupied by Russia, and of accusing Moscow of violating international law and Georgia’s sovereignty.

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According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Droa’s activities are aimed at “exposing links between Georgia’s ruling elite and Russia”, dismantling the country’s one-party system and promoting faster integration with the European Union.

The Russian authorities also criticised the party’s leader, Elene Khoshtaria, who accuses the ruling Georgian Dream party of pursuing a pro-Russian course and attempting to isolate Georgia from the European integration process.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office also says Droa supports the Ukrainian authorities and advocates Georgia’s accession to the “Carpathian Eight”, a regional and economic cooperation format for countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe linked to the Carpathian region.

Droa’s response

Droa, in turn, says Russia’s accusations concern precisely the positions and activities that the party considers part of its efforts to defend Georgia’s national interests.

The party listed six reasons why it believes the Russian authorities designated it an “undesirable organisation: recognising Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region as territories occupied by Russia; exposing secret links between Georgian Dream and Russia; working to end the one-party system in Georgia; supporting faster integration with the European Union; backing the Ukrainian authorities and cooperation between Georgia and Ukraine; and Elene Khoshtaria’s statements accusing Georgian Dream of pursuing a pro-Russian course and obstructing European integration.

“We are taking this opportunity, which we consider an honour, to reiterate: Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region are Georgia! Glory to the heroes! Ivanishvili’s regime is Russian! We will put an end to Ivanishvili’s Russian regime in Georgia! Georgia will become a member of the European Union and NATO!” the party said in a statement.

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What is the “Carpathian Eight”?

The “Carpathian Eight” mentioned in this context is a new regional cooperation initiative unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a summit in western Ukraine on 18 September.

The initiative aims to deepen trade, energy, logistics and security cooperation among countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Its members are Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and the European Union.

At the summit, Zelensky said the Carpathian region could play an important role in supplying energy to the European Union rather than serving merely as a transit corridor. He added that stronger regional cooperation could also help reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources.

According to Zelensky, the new format will strengthen ties between the countries and provide an additional, robust framework for cooperation at EU level.

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About the Droa party

Droa (“It’s Time!”) is a pro-Western, pro-European opposition party in Georgia. Former State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Elene Khoshtaria founded it in 2021.

The party’s political agenda focuses on Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration, strengthening democratic institutions, fighting corruption and countering Russian influence.

Droa is a vocal critic of Georgian Dream’s policies and accuses the authorities of pursuing a pro-Russian course and obstructing the country’s European integration.

Droa emerged as a political movement in March 2021 and registered as a political party in August that year. Before founding it, Khoshtaria left European Georgia, which she had joined after the 2020 parliamentary elections. Earlier, she had been a member of another opposition party, the United National Movement.

From 2007 to 2012, under the previous government led by Mikheil Saakashvili, Khoshtaria served as First Deputy State Minister of Georgia for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. From 2016 to 2022, under the current government, she was a member of parliament.

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, Droa ran as part of the opposition Coalition for Change, which also included the Akhali and Girchi – More Freedom parties.

Droa has actively participated in anti-government protests and criticised decisions by Georgian Dream, including the suspension of the country’s EU accession process.

Elene Khoshtaria is currently in prison. In September 2025, authorities arrested her for writing “Russian Dream” on an election campaign banner belonging to Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. In March 2026, a court sentenced her to one year and six months in prison for damaging property belonging to another person.

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