The Georgian Government’s uncertain position on its support for Ukraine may be linked to the fact that Bidzina Ivanishvili and his family have business interests in Russia. Eka Gigauri, Chairperson of Transparency International Georgia, stated about this during the presentation of the research on Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“After the launch of a full-scale war against Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the imposition of unprecedented sanctions on Russia by the West, the Georgian ruling elite’s peculiar approach to dealing with Russia has become a topic of wider discussion.

As many countries around the world have imposed significant economic and other restrictions on Russia, there is a growing risk that Russia will try to circumvent these restrictions by any means at its disposal. The Kremlin is likely to consider using neighboring countries, including Georgia, to achieve this goal.

It is also necessary to determine what business interests the Georgian ruling elite holds in Russia, as this may impact their decisions on issues of strategic importance for Georgia”, - reads the research.