Two Ukrainian citizens have been detained in Georgia while attempting to bring in the explosive RDX. The Georgian State Security Service (SSG) suspects the case may be linked to “radical opposition” plans to destabilise the situation ahead of the 4 October municipal elections. But the detainees themselves insist the explosives were not meant for use in Georgia, but for Russia.
Details
According to the SSG, on 10 September a truck with Ukrainian plates, travelling from Ukraine through Romania and Bulgaria, crossed into Georgia from Turkey. A search uncovered 2.4kg of explosives hidden in secret compartments.
“This is a substance more powerful than TNT,” deputy head of the SSG Lasha Magradze told reporters.
“It was established that in Ukraine, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) handed the driver the explosives and instructed him to take them into Georgia and deliver them to a specific person,” deputy SSG head Lasha Magradze said, outlining the investigation’s version of events.
One of the detainees, however, testified that the explosives were ultimately destined for Russia, where they were to be used in a military operation called “Web 2.”
Magradze added that at this stage “the only apparent final destination for the explosives was one of the residential buildings in Tbilisi.”
On 12 September, prosecutors charged the two Ukrainians with the illegal acquisition, possession, transport, use and import of explosives across Georgia’s customs border — an offence carrying up to nine years in prison.
It was also reported that during a search of one suspect’s temporary residence, police found a large quantity of cocaine, leading to additional charges of drug possession.
Georgia is due to hold municipal elections on 4 October. Much of the opposition is boycotting the vote and urging supporters to skip the polls and join a mass rally instead — an idea put forward by the opposition United National Movement party.
