TBILISI, July 3. /TASS/. Some representatives of the Georgian opposition planned to move tanks to Abkhazia, South Ossetia and even Sochi during the Wagner PMC mutiny, says Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia political party.
"We remember how the collective National Movement [collective moniker for the Georgian opposition - TASS] rooted for Prigozhin, dedicated slogans and poems to him, and, as Prigozhin progressed, planned to bring tanks not only to Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, but also to take Sochi," Kobakhidze said on social media.
According to the politician, the Georgian opposition has shown by its reaction to the events in Russia that it "would use any pretext to open a second front in Georgia." He pointed out that the opposition made no attempt to hide that, if it had the necessary capabilities, it "would have used the first chance to move tanks into Abkhazia and Tskhinvali."
The politician underscored that Georgian forces would have had to fight with the Abkhazians and the Ossetians in case a second front was created.
"It is unacceptable that the Georgians and the Abkhazians, the Georgians and the Ossetians would once again spill each other’s blood. That would be the greatest crime before future generations," Kobakhidze said.
According to the politician, it is the ruling party’s principal position that the "territorial integrity of Georgia must be restored via peaceful means only." Georgia needs not only to take back its territories, but also to restore the trust of the Abkhazians and the Ossetians.
Late on June 23, Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed on his Telegram channel that his units were hit with strikes, accusing the Russian military leadership. The Russian Defense Ministry called this information false. The PMC units that supported Prigozhin moved out towards Rostov-on-Don and Moscow. The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia opened a criminal case over charges of calls for a mutiny. In his video address, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Wagner’s actions a betrayal. Later, under agreement with Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held negotiations with Prigozhin, which resulted in the PMC turning back and returning to its field camps.