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Georgia launches sabotage probe into foreign disinformation targeting Russian tourists
Georgia’s State Security Service has opened a sabotage investigation under Article 318 of the criminal code into a foreign‑directed disinformation campaign. The campaign used fabricated accounts on the social platform X to spread false claims that Georgian citizens were abandoning Russian tourists in forests or deliberately contaminating food they ordered. A foreign‑registered online media outlet with a multi‑million audience later amplified the false stories, aiming to create the impression that Georgia is unsafe for Russian visitors and thereby damage the country’s economic interests.
The probe seeks to identify the organizers, participants, funding sources and dissemination methods behind the operation. The offence carries a penalty of up to four years’ imprisonment. Russia is Georgia’s largest source of international visitors, with 2025 arrivals reaching a record‑high of nearly 1.6 million. The investigation was announced days before the anniversary of the 2008 Russo‑Georgian war, heightening concerns about foreign influence on Georgia’s security and tourism sector.
Entities
Article 318 of the Georgian Criminal Code · Emzar Gagnidze · Georgia · Georgian State Security Service · Levon Khabeishvili · National Movement · Russian Federation · Russian tourists · Social platform X · State Security Service of Georgia · Telavi
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Georgia's State Security Service launched an investigation under Article 318 of the criminal code for sabotage. webstat.net · georgiaonline.ge · oc-media.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] A foreign‑registered online media outlet with a multi‑million audience amplified the false content. webstat.net · georgiaonline.ge · oc-media.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Russia was Georgia's largest source of international visitors in recent years, with 2025 arrivals reaching nearly 1.6 million. oc-media.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] Fake accounts on the social platform X posted claims that Georgian citizens abandoned Russian tourists in forests or contaminated their food. webstat.net · georgiaonline.ge · oc-media.org
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The investigation was announced days before the anniversary of the 2008 Russo‑Georgian war. webstat.net
- [● 3 SOURCES] The campaign aims to damage Georgia's economic interests by creating a perception that the country is unsafe for Russian tourists. webstat.net · georgiaonline.ge · oc-media.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] The sabotage offence carries a penalty of up to four years imprisonment. webstat.net · georgiaonline.ge · oc-media.org
- [● 3 SOURCES] The investigation targets a foreign‑directed disinformation campaign that spreads false claims about mistreatment of Russian tourists in Georgia. webstat.net · georgiaonline.ge · oc-media.org