The sabotage group "Georgian Legion" operates in Ukraine?

In Ukraine, under the coordination of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there is a sabotage and reconnaissance group "Georgian National Legion" (its members participated in the hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq), an authorised source familiar with the situation told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

"The Georgian National Legion consists of 25 people, mostly citizens of Georgia. It operates as a sabotage and reconnaissance group mainly in the Luhansk region. A selection of volunteers is held on the territory of Georgia from among the nationalists," he said.

“The direct coordinator of the legion’s financial support was previously the ex-governor of the Odessa region, Mikheil Saakashvili, acting through various US funds,” he added.

It is also noted that the field commander of the "Georgian National Legion" is Mamulashvili Ushangi (Mamuka) Zurabovich, a native of Tbilisi.

Georgian opposition demands to look for Russian spies and saboteurs

Representatives of the Georgian opposition believe that spies and saboteurs must be among the Russian citizens who have recently entered the territory of Georgia.

Nona Mamulashvili, a member of the Georgian parliament, known for her sharp anti-Russian statements, held a special briefing dedicated to this issue.

According to Mamulashvili, she turned to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Vakhtang Gomelauri with a demand to give an explanation about the measures taken since 2013 by the Georgian law enforcement agencies to identify Russian agents.

“Today we sent a letter to Gomelauri, because we see that in the last few days citizens with Russian passports have been brought into Georgia en masse, and this is not controlled. Given the fact that, unfortunately, there are saboteurs among these people, we consider it important to find out what measures the state is taking and what are the control mechanisms. We ask Gomelauri to provide us with information on the number of people detained for espionage and the number of sanctions applied to them,” Mamulashvili said.

Mamulashvili highlighted that a similar situation developed last year in Ukraine, where Russian citizens entered en masse, who are now actively engaged in "subversive activities." According to Mamulashvili, a similar development of events threatens Georgia as well.

Tbilisi rejects Kyiv's accusations of cooperation with Moscow

Georgian Minister of Economy Levan Davitashvili denied accusations from Ukraine about secret negotiations between Tbilisi and Moscow and close economic cooperation between them.

Davitashvili claimed that several companies from Georgia applied to export animal products to Russia in 2020, and there were no ties with Russia after that. According to him, private companies were interested in entering the new market, and the government did not conduct any secret negotiations. “As for secret negotiations and some conspiracies, I say this responsibly on behalf of the Georgian government - this is gossip! Some people discuss it, express their versions according to their imagination,” Davitashvili said.

The minister urged to consider this topic closed. “I don’t care what country it is, an official, a private person and someone else make such statements. Let's finish with insinuations,” Davitashvili said.

Zalkaliani: A free trade deal between the United States and Georgia would benefit both countries

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani told Brock Bierman, an editorial writer for the American publication The Hill, that a US-Georgia free trade agreement (FTA) would be net positive for both countries.

Bierman recently wrote an essay titled "Give Georgia a Free Trade Agreement," in which he advocated for developing "resilience in nations under attack, notably in Georgia," which is occupied by Russia for 20% of its territory.

"Now is the ideal time for the United States to take a particular tangible measure to assist Georgia in building a better economy: create a bilateral free trade agreement," Bierman wrote.

Zalkaliani told Bierman that an FTA with Georgia would benefit the United States in "developing economic resilience, well-being, and bilateral commerce."

Bierman closed his piece by stating that Georgia is working to strengthen its relations with the West, and that a free trade agreement would be a "win-win" situation for both countries.

Georgian Foreign Minister and EU Special Representative discuss regional security

Following Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the security environment in the Black Sea region, as well as the challenges facing Georgia in these circumstances, were discussed in a meeting between Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.

The need for Russia to fulfil its international obligations, including the August 12, 2008 ceasefire agreement that ended the five-day war between Russia and Georgia, as well as Georgian authorities' efforts to peacefully resolve the Russian-Georgian conflict, were discussed, according to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Another topic discussed at the discussion was the severe security, humanitarian, and human rights situation in Georgia's Russian-occupied territories, as well as the necessity for aggressive European and international action.

The Geneva International Talks - a framework that facilitates negotiations between the Georgian government and de-facto authorities in occupied regions - were also discussed, with emphasis on the necessity to utilise the format efficiently to achieve "concrete" outcomes.

The parties also highlighted the importance of resuming Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism talks in Gali, Abkhazia's seized north western area, without preconditions.

The two officials also discussed the possibility of convening regular Ergneti meetings to discuss the situation along the administrative border line that divides the occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) area in central Georgia from Georgian-controlled territory.