TBILISI, April 29. /TASS/. A group of people, including Georgian mercenaries from Ukraine, plotted to change Georgia’s government by force in 2024, the country’s State Security Service said in its 2024 report.
According to the service, the plotters intended to use the parliament’s approval of a foreign agent law as an excuse to accuse the government of rigging the October 26 parliamentary election and carry out a coup.
"The group received funding from abroad and was guided by the heads of parliamentary and non-parliamentary parties, and non-governmental organizations. Georgian nationals based abroad, including some of the Georgians fighting in Ukraine, were actively involved in the criminal plan at different periods," the report reads.
The security service points out that the mercenaries were ready to come to Georgia from Ukraine to participate in attacks on police officers, which would have exacerbated tensions. The mercenaries were also considering the possibility of eliminating officials representing the ruling party.
In May 2024, Georgia’s parliament passed a foreign agent law amid protests and unrest. The adoption of the law spoiled Georgia’s relations with the West. On October 26, 2024, the country held its parliamentary election, which was won by the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party. The opposition and then-President Salome Zourabichvili refused to recognize the election’s outcome and started to organize rallies that continue to this day.