Georgia's ruling party wants Saakashvili tried for provoking Russia to attack in 2008 - ISW

Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party has accused former President Mikheil Saakashvili of provoking Russia's war against the country in 2008. It is also trying to blame the imprisoned politician for the Kremlin's subsequent illegal occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the orders of unspecified "external actors."

This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Analysts say that the political party continued the narratives that reflect Moscow's information operation and are designed to justify Russian violence against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states previously colonized by the USSR and the Russian Empire.

For example, the political council of the Georgian Dream stated that it should conduct a "legal process" to inform the public about the alleged "treasonous actions" of Saakashvili and his United National Movement party. It is emphasized that they blamed the former president, not Russia, for the 2008 war and the occupation of Georgia's territory, and instead justify Russia's actions, which were condemned by the international community.

"The 'Georgian Dream' narrative closely resonates with the Kremlin's information operations on the Russian-Georgian war, broader information operations used to justify Russia's war against Ukraine, and the growing threats to Moldova's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the analysts said.

They recalled that the aggressor country, Russia, has repeatedly accused pro-Western and pro-democratic leaders of neighboring countries of cooperating with "external actors" to the detriment of Russian interests. At the same time, it has been conducting trials in an attempt to justify its invasion, occupation, and hybrid operations against sovereign countries.

A prominent Russian blogger with ties to the Kremlin took note of Georgian Dream's statements and amplified previous accusations by Russian authorities against Saakashvili and the West in general, suggesting that this narrative could gain support in the broader Russian media space.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, in early August, the Tbilisi City Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Mikheil Saakashvili in the form of arrest in the case of illegal border crossing. Although the politician has been behind bars for almost three years, the prosecution claimed that he could influence witnesses, destroy evidence, or "commit a new crime."

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