Presenting the State Security Service report for 2022 at a meeting of three parliamentary committees on July 6, First Deputy Head of the State Security Service of Georgia Aleksi Batiashvili stated that in Georgia last year, disinformation and propaganda campaigns were conducted in the wake of current issues in the country and the region, including actors operating both inside and outside the country. 

According to him, there were attempts to harm Georgia's relations with strategic partners and allies. "In 2022, the security environment of Georgia was significantly negatively affected by hybrid threats directed against Georgia. Often, covert operations of so-called soft power, including cyber operations, as well as information warfare tools, were used in a coordinated manner. Last year, disinformation and propaganda campaigns were carried out in the wake of current issues in the country and regional developments. This included actors operating both within the country and outside it. The main goal of these campaigns was still to influence the foreign policy course. There have been attempts to damage Georgia's relations with strategic partners and allies," Batiashvili said, without specifying either the names or the countries in question.

In addition, the First Deputy Head of the State Security Service said there was an active attempt to use military operations in Ukraine for their own political purposes, and information campaigns were conducted aimed at deliberately misleading the public. "The disinformation statements spread against the State Security Service and the security system of the country as a whole were especially sharp, which were really aimed at harming the safe environment in the country. During the reporting period, the service continuously monitored the processes taking place in the framework of the information war and carried out the relevant activities specified by law," Batiashvili added.

According to the State Security Service, the special services of foreign countries continued to actively use soft power tools to carry out various intelligence activities. "To spread their political, military, and national ideology, these actors tried to arrange various cultural, educational, and expert meetings, as well as to carry out humanitarian, infrastructure, and business projects. The State Security Service carried out appropriate operational measures to suppress these threats," Batiashvili said.