TBILISI, October 2 – Britain has sanctioned four Georgian citizens as part of a new package targeting people accused of spreading Kremlin-supporting disinformation, Interpressnews reported.
The four Georgians named in the measures are Nikoloz Mzhavanadze, Giorgi Iremadze, Mamuka Pipia and Paata Abuladze.
The UK said they were part of a group that travelled to Russian-occupied Donetsk and met the head of the self-declared “Donetsk People’s Republic”, before publicizing the visit. In Mamuka Pipia’s case, the British government also accused him of promoting Russian disinformation narratives.
According to the British government, the latest package covers seven individuals in total, including the four Georgian citizens, who it says were involved in spreading pro-Kremlin disinformation.
The British statement said the activities ranged from efforts to legitimize Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory to serving in Russian-appointed authorities in occupied South Ossetia.
These British sanctions against Russia are part of a broader pressure by the West since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Georgia’s role has been ambivalent as it initially aligned with the EU concerning Crimea, but the Georgian Dream government declined to take part in broader economic sanctions against Russia, arguing that they would harm Georgia’s economy.
The background is that Russia reopened its market to Georgian wine, mineral water and some agricultural products in 2013, following Georgian Dream’s election victory the previous year, thus ending a trade embargo from 2006. The government has aimed to preserve those economic ties while also saying it would prevent Georgia from being used to circumvent Western sanctions. That policy continued after the full-scale invasion in 2022 and through subsequent events.
Relations with Western capitals have meanwhile deteriorated over concerns about human rights and democracy. Several Western governments have sanctioned Georgian officials and other individuals, while further measures, including suspending visa-free travel to the EU, have been proposed. No broad economic sanctions have been imposed on Georgia.
