Irakli Kirtskhalia, Chairperson of the Georgian Dream faction and Majority Leader, published an extensive post on social media, in which he points out double standards and illogical shifts in positions among a segment of cultural sphere representatives.

"Everyone knows that in early April 2013, less than five years after the August war, the Sukhishvili ensemble gave a grand concert in Saint Petersburg. In contrast, today the ensemble refuses to perform in Russia.

Following the August war, the symphony orchestra conducted by Nikoloz Rachveli gave two concerts at the Shostakovich Saint Petersburg Academic Philharmonia. As he later stated on a television show, politics was not the reason he stopped going to Russia; his reason was self-respect. Apparently, his self-respect did not bother him after the August war, yet following the invasion of Ukraine, he claims he would feel overwhelming shame if he did not take a fiercely anti-Russian stance.

Nor can I overlook Paata Burchuladze, who has lately been posing as a martyr for a European future whilst constantly projecting anti-Russian stances. Besides building his career under the moniker of the Russian Bass, after the 2008 war he went on to sing in Russia in 2012, and in 2018 in the direct presence of Putin.

The list goes on, but the facts in these three cases alone demonstrate a clear pattern: a number of these so-called cultural figures refused to sever ties, halt work, or withdraw from projects in Russia after the August 2008 war, while simultaneously failing to criticise the UNM for decisions that directly served Russian interests.

At the same time, they share another key trait: following Russia`s second invasion of Ukraine in 2022, patriotic feelings suddenly woke up inside them. They now adopt aggressive anti-Russian rhetoric, `fighting sabres drawn` against our northern neighbour to an extent that borders on Russophobia. Everyone agrees that public figures, including those in the cultural sphere, hold significant sway, and their actions or calls directly shape collective public perception. If you want to discuss why they act so illogically on the surface, and whether it is mere coincidence that these cultural figures follow the same playbook as politicians and NGO operatives blindly obeying foreign masters, I will tell you directly: I do not believe in such coincidences", - writes Irakli Kirtskhalia.