Kremlin compares Georgia protests to Maidan coup
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov comments on the events in Georgia, saying that "there is an obvious attempt to destabilize the situation."
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Demonstrators use firecrackers against police during a rally against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the EU for 4 years, outside the parliament's building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on December 1, 2024. (AP)
The ongoing anti-government rallies in Georgia are reminiscent of the 2014 Western-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine and have all the hallmarks of an attempted "orange revolution," according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Sunday brought a deepening political crisis in Georgia after the government suspended its pursuit of European Union membership, igniting mass protests and condemnation on the part of the EU.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Tbilisi, demanding new elections, shooting fireworks, and throwing Molotov cocktails at riot police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. More than 250 individuals have allegedly been detained.
Peskov commented on the events in Georgia, saying that "there is an obvious attempt to destabilize the situation" and that similar incidents had occurred in "a number of countries" in recent years.
"The most direct parallel that can be drawn is the events of the Maidan in Ukraine," Peskov said, referring to the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014 that deposed the country's democratically elected president and set off the present war between Russia and Ukraine.
Peskov went on to say that the anti-government rallies in Georgia had "all the signs of an attempt to carry out an 'orange revolution'," but emphasized that what happens in the country is "Georgia's internal affair."
The spokesperson affirmed Russia would not intervene while Georgian officials attempted to resolve the situation, a position previously mentioned by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who said last month that Russia has "no diplomatic relations with Georgia" and that Moscow does not interfere in other countries' domestic affairs; that is what the West does."
Georgian PM blames 'EU politicians and agents' for unrest
Over the weekend, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze similarly promised that the country will not allow a situation like Ukraine's Maidan to unfold.
He alluded to the color revolution in Kiev a decade ago, which deposed Ukraine's democratically elected president, sparked hostilities across the nation, and resulted in the current war between the country and Russia.
“Unlike Ukraine in 2013, Georgia is an independent state with strong institutions and, most importantly, experienced and wise people. The Maidan scenario cannot be realized in Georgia. Georgia is a sovereign state and will not allow this,” Kobakhidze said during a conference on Saturday, as reported by News Georgia.
He explained how the present violent upheaval in Georgia, like the Maidan coup, is the product of EU politicians and their operatives interfering with the country's affairs.
"The main responsibility for yesterday's violent rally lies with the relevant European politicians and bureaucrats, with local agents, the fifth column, which is represented by four opposition parties," said the minister.
