We all remember how today`s most vocal "Russophobes", Elene Khoshtaria, Zurab Japaridze, Misha Mshvildadze and others, welcomed Russian tourists to Georgia, Russian money, which at the time supposedly "had no smell". The Prime Minister of Georgia wrote on his social media message.

“Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, a particular line of thinking emerged among the opposition-aligned, pseudo-liberal minority within our society-one that warrants separate consideration.

As you know, as a result of the crimes committed by the regime of the United National Movement (UNM) against its own state and people, Russia occupied 20 percent of Georgia`s territory. Eighteen years have passed since the August 2008 war, yet its devastating consequences continue to affect our country and the lives of tens of thousands of Georgians to this day. As a result of Russia's military aggression, 412 people were killed and 2232 were injured. Some 30 000 of our fellow citizens were forced to flee their homes, while over 120 Georgian settlements ended up beyond the occupation line. We owe it to our homeland and to history to recognize that these figures are far more than mere statistics. Behind them lie the most precious losses of all-lives cut short, abandoned and devastated villages, and national interests sacrificed through betrayal.

Interestingly, despite the scale of this tragedy, the August War did not become sufficient grounds for the UNM regime and its supporters to adopt a radically anti-Russian stance during the 2008-2012 period. In fact, the opposite occurred. Following Russia's occupation of Georgian territories in 2008 and its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states, the UNM not only refrained from pursuing a tougher policy toward Russia, but shortly after the war ended, the regime’s leader personally welcomed Russian citizens at the border, inviting them to visit Georgia as tourists and to conduct business in the country. During the same period, the regime actively sought to deepen cultural and humanitarian ties with Russia, while also encouraging the involvement of Russian capital in various sectors of Georgia`s economy, including strategic industries. A few years later, the UNM government unilaterally abolished visa requirements for Russian citizens.

I would like to remind you that neither representatives of the UNM regime nor their supporters expressed any protest against this policy at the time. Moreover, we all remember how today`s most vocal "Russophobes" - Elene Khoshtaria, Zurab Japaridze, Misha Mshvildadze and others - welcomed Russian tourists to Georgia, Russian money, which at the time supposedly "had no smell", as well as the deepening of trade, economic and cultural ties with Russia. Let me remind you that all of this was taking place after Russia had already recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and diplomatic relations between the two countries had been severed.

The fact is that these political forces, the non-governmental organizations associated with them and other active supporters - who have formed, under external influence, an organized radical force acting as agents and have repeatedly demonstrated that their primary objective in Georgia is to advance the interests of foreign actors - were not troubled by anti-Russian aggression during the 2008-2012 period. The radical anti-Russian sentiment among these groups emerged only after Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine. It is clear that the Global War Party needed the scale of the current conflict in order to draw Europe into the war and to intensify Russophobia among its aligned groups worldwide, including in Georgia, to the highest possible level", - writes Irakli Kobakhidze.