'Russian influence is growing in Georgia' — UK Parliament report on disinformation
UK Parliament report on Georgia
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has published a new report on disinformation, which mentions Georgia.
The report sharply criticises the policies of Georgian Dream in the context of delays in the country’s integration into the European Union, restrictions on the opposition, tighter regulation of protests, and the spread of disinformation. The document also highlights parallels between the policies of Georgian Dream and Russia.
The document, titled “Disinformation Diplomacy: How Malign Actors Are Seeking to Undermine Democracy,” presents Georgia as a key arena of geopolitical competition between the West and Russia in the Black Sea region.
According to the report, the United Kingdom and the European Union support Georgian society’s aspiration towards liberal democracy and Western institutions, including the prospect of eventual membership in NATO and the EU, while Russia seeks to obstruct this process and halt Georgia’s integration into the West.
- The document notes that Georgian Dream, which has been in power since 2012, has consolidated its position by suppressing opposition voices, suspending EU accession talks, awarding strategic infrastructure projects to Chinese companies, and promoting pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives.
The report also cites the view of Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, that the government is attempting to restrict the activities of civil society, NGOs, and independent media through laws and practices that, she says, mirror those of Russia and Belarus. These include the so-called “foreign agents” law, which requires organisations receiving a certain share of foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.”
The document also mentions Georgia’s informal ruler, Bidzina Ivanishvili, described as a billionaire who amassed his fortune in the banking, metallurgy, and telecommunications sectors in post-Soviet Russia in the 1990s before returning to Georgia and gaining influence over political processes.
- According to the report, Ivanishvili has repeatedly echoed Russian anti-Western narratives, including claims that the West is seeking to use Georgia to open a “second front” in the Russia–Ukraine war through a so-called “global war party.”
The document notes that the Office of Foreign Assets Control in December 2024 accused Ivanishvili of undermining Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic trajectory through actions serving Russia’s interests, while the European Parliament in February 2025 adopted a resolution calling on member states to impose sanctions and freeze the assets of Ivanishvili and his associates.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons also noted that it had requested clarification from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office regarding support for civil society in Georgia and the possibility of additional sanctions against the government.
Minister Stephen Doughty responded that support for Georgian independent media and civil society is one of the key priorities of the United Kingdom’s foreign policy, and that London continues to assist relevant organisations.
However, Salome Zourabichvili believes that practical support for Georgia in this area is insufficient and that there is no clear strategy to counter Russian disinformation and influence.
- In the concluding part of the report, the committee expressed “deep concern” over the deterioration of democratic processes in Georgia and stated that the continuation of current trends and the strengthening of Russia’s influence could lead the country towards an authoritarian model similar to that of Belarus.
The committee supported existing UK sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations in the context of protests and recommended that the government introduce new targeted sanctions against individuals backing the “foreign agents” legislation, as well as against actors whom the committee believes are spreading disinformation.
