Georgia's Defense Ministry confirmed its advisor was a businessman David Khidasheli

David Khidasheli and the Georgian Ministry of Defense

Note: The headline and information in the original article claiming that Davit Khidasheli is linked to Russian intelligence services, and that the Ministry of Defense confirms this connection, are not true.

The Georgian Ministry of Defense confirmed that Georgian businessman David Khidasheli served as an advisor to the defense minister. Khidasheli was employed by the ministry from 2020 to 2024.

Following the suspension of the then-minister’s powers in accordance with the “Public Service Law,” David Khidasheli’s administrative contract was terminated.

However, the ministry asserts that Khidasheli did not have access to state secrets.

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Who is David Khidasheli?

David Khidasheli is a businessman of Georgian origin who operates in Russia and has close ties with Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov.

Yevtushenkov, owner of the large Russian corporation “Sistema,” was one of the first to be sanctioned by the United Kingdom after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, Yevtushenkov has close connections to Georgian oligarch and founder of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

It was based on a map brought from Russia by David Khidasheli, supposedly found in archives, that a criminal case was initiated in Georgia against former members of the Commission for the Delimitation and Demarcation of State Borders.

According to the investigation, they allegedly falsified maps in favor of Azerbaijan at the behest of the previous government (led by Mikheil Saakashvili).

Georgia investigating ‘illegal transfer’ of territories to Azerbaijan. Details of the high-profile case

The opposition sees a political motive in this case and an attempt to throw shade on former President Saakashvili before the elections

Khidasheli tried to portray himself as a “restorer of Georgian lands” and influence society before the parliamentary elections, swaying it towards the “Georgian Dream.” Bidzina Ivanishvili publicly thanked Khidasheli for this and called him a “hero.”