After the mass protests in March 2023 resulted in the parliament withdrawing the “Foreign Agents” bill initiated by “People’s Power, faction” the ruling party reintroduced the bill on April 3, 2024. They justified the decision by claiming that despite promises of transparency, foreign donors had increased the secret funding of radical groups and parties in Georgia. Despite large-scale protests and violent dispersal of demonstrations by the authorities, the parliament still passed the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill in three readings, overcoming the president’s veto.
While various members of the international community, including leaders of Georgia’s strategic partner countries, international organizations, and institutions, actively urged the government of Georgia not to pass the bill, stating it was analogous to Russia’s “foreign agents” law, the Kremlin, its satellite media outlets, and actors closely monitored and covered the process. They praised the Georgian government, calling the move a “bold step,” and wished the “Georgian Dream” endurance in defending national interests.
This article reviews the messages propagated in Russian media regarding the bill initiated in Georgia and identifies the actors cited by Kremlin media to spread these messages.
Specifically, several key messages emerged in Russian media, disseminated by representatives of the Russian government and various Russian and Georgian experts:
- The bill initiated in Georgia is not Russian; similar laws exist in many other countries, including the USA.
- The Georgian bill is much more lenient than similar laws in other (Western) countries.
- The West operates with double standards regarding Georgia.
- The West is grossly interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs.
- Washington and Brussels are planning to organizr a Maidan in Georgia, and the law will prevent this plan from being realized.
- The “Transparency fo Foreign Influence” law is a foundation for preserving the country’s sovereignty.
Among the Georgian experts supporting Kremlin policy cited in Russian media were Shota Apkhaidze, Vladimer Khomeriki, Petre Mamradze, Lali Moroshkina, and Archil Sikharulidze.
Comparison with Other Laws/Bills
Immediately after the ruling party reintroduced the bill, comments appeared in Russian media from Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, who denied claims that the bill being discussed in Georgia was a “Russian project” and noted that the system of combating agents was first developed by the USA. He emphasized that it is a common practice in almost all countries to combat those who are agents of a foreign state, receive money, or are under the influence of foreign states. Later, Peskov reiterated that the bill on foreign agents in Georgia should not be called “Russian” because all countries adopt such measures to some extent.
In parallel with the statements of Kremlin officials, various experts periodically disseminated similar messages in Russian propaganda media, drawing parallels between the bill initiated in Georgia and existing laws in Western countries, reinforcing the notion that the law is not Russian. For example, political scientist Shota Apkhaidze, founder of the Caucasus Islamic Studies Center and a Kremlin propagandist, and an expert at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, stated in an interview with Izvestia that similar norms exist in the USA, Canada, Israel, and many other countries, and that it is absolutely normal for any normal sovereign state to protect its space from external influence. Similarly, Vladimer Khomeriki, president of the Foundation for the Unity of the Russian and Georgian People, said in an interview with Pravda that the bill initiated in Georgia is not Russian and that similar laws are already in force or initiated in the US, Europe, and Australia.
Russian propaganda media also actively spread the claim that Georgia’s “Transparency of Foreign Influence” law is much more lenient and soft than similar laws in other countries. This claim was propagated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova. It is noteworthy that in addition to Lavrov and Zakharova, the same was claimed by political scientist Lali Moroshkina on “Mir 24,” who often spreads pro-government messages. According to Moroshkina, the law initiated and passed in Georgia is much more liberal and lenient than its European and American counterparts.
During the discussion of the bill in Georgia, the above-mentioned messages were periodically repeated by various experts in propaganda media such as Russia’s Channel One, Russia 24, Russia Today, and others (1, 2, 3, 4).
The West Operates with Double Standards Regarding Georgia
Russian media also echoed messages accusing the West of using double standards towards Georgia. According to these narratives, what is allowed for Americans and other Western countries is forbidden for others. For example, all Western countries have laws on foreign agents aimed at protecting the country from the influence of the undemocratic world, but Georgia cannot adopt a similar law because it would hinder the spread of Western influence.
The West is Grossly Interfering in Georgia’s Internal Affairs
In the context of the “Foreign Influence Transparency” bill, messages were also spread in Russian media accusing Western countries of grossly interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs. Notably, Russian officials made a number of statements in this regard. In one of his statements about the events in Georgia, Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the situation related to the “foreign agents” law is an absolutely domestic matter, in which Russia does not want to interfere, but sees quite open and undisguised interference in Georgia’s internal affairs from abroad. As an example, Peskov cited threats of sanctions from the West. Maria Zakharova has repeated the same narrative, calling the reaction of Western countries to the adoption of the “foreign agents” law in Georgia absolute, one hundred percent interference in the domestic politics of a sovereign, independent state.
Alongside Kremlin officials, similar messages were disseminated in Russian propaganda media by Georgian experts supporting Kremlin policy, including political scientist Archil Sikharulidze and Petre Mamradze in an interview with Izvestia.
Washington and Brussels Plan to Organize a Maidan Georgia
Another widespread narrative in Russian propaganda media regarding the “foreign agents” law accuses Washington and Brussels of attempting to Maidanize Georgia. This accusation was made by Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian State Duma and a member of the Security Council, in a statement actively covered by Russian media. Volodin claimed that Washington and Brussels had decided to overthrow the government in Georgia, and he believed the adoption of the [agents’] law could thwart these plans.
These accusations were actively spread in Kremlin propaganda media at various times. These accusations attacked the opposition on one hand, claiming that foreign-funded agents were trying to organize a second Maidan on the streets of Tbilisi, and on the other hand, accused the US and the EU of preparing a coup in Georgia through their agents.
Pro-Kremlin outlet Pravda, citing Vladimir Khomeriki, even spread a conspiracy theory that hundreds of young Georgians were allegedly taken to Poland and other nearby foreign countries to be specially trained for these demonstrations [against the agents’ law] and taught how to act, which was ultimately aimed at escalation and creating a pre-revolutionary situation.
Along with these accusations, Kremlin media developed the idea that the Georgian government wanted to prevent the Maidanization of the country by passing the above-mentioned law.
The “Transparency of Foreign Influence” Law is a Foundation for Preserving National Sovereignty
Another widely spread message in Russian media argues that regulating foreign influence is one of the foundations of ensuring national security and preserving the sovereignty of any state. Similar statement was voiced by Vyacheslav Volodin, stating that any country that wants to become a sovereign state, where people have the right to independently determine their future, is obliged to adopt a law on foreign agents, which essentially aims to prohibit external interference in internal affairs. The same narrative was amplified by Georgian political scientist Petre Mamradze in an interview with Izvestia, emphasizing that in today’s conditions, it is very important to disclose funding sources, as this is the only way for Georgia to become truly sovereign. Also noteworthy is the comment by Kremlin propagandist Alexander Dugin, who, in assessing the events in Georgia, said that Georgia has become a sovereign state, is no longer dependent on globalists, and has embarked on a new path of sovereign development.
Parallel to the spread of these messages in Russian media, disinformation related to the “agents’ law” and the protests against it was rampant on social networks and Georgian media. “Myth Detector” debunked false and manipulative claims that the bill initiated in Georgia was similar to laws adopted in other countries, such as France, the USA, and the EU.
