State Security Service launches sabotage probe into foreign-directed, domestically supported disinformation campaign targeting Georgia’s interests

The State Security Service of Georgia said on Wednesday that its State Security Department had launched an investigation into allegations of sabotage linked to a foreign-directed and domestically supported disinformation campaign aimed at undermining Georgia’s state interests.

According to the Service, the investigation concerns the coordinated dissemination of discrediting information about Georgia through fake “bot” accounts created and operated from a foreign country across various social media platforms.

The Security Service noted that the campaign was aimed at damaging Georgia’s economic interests.

“The campaign aims to spread disinformation in order to create a false perception that Georgia has become an unfavourable destination for tourists from the Russian Federation. At this stage of the investigation, it has been established that several fake accounts registered on the social media platform X were involved in disseminating false information on various issues. In particular, the accounts claimed that Georgian citizens were allegedly abandoning tourists from the Russian Federation in forests or deliberately contaminating food ordered by them at Georgian restaurants. The Security Service said this false information was later amplified in a coordinated manner, at specific time intervals, by an online media outlet registered in a foreign country with a multi-million audience”, the statement said.

The investigation has been launched under Article 318 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which covers acts of sabotage involving interference with, disruption of, or destruction of the normal operation of state enterprises or other critical facilities with the aim of harming Georgia’s state interests. The alleged offence carries a penalty of up to four years in prison.

The State Security Service said that operational and investigative measures are ongoing to identify the organisers and participants of the alleged disinformation campaign, determine its possible sources of funding, establish the mechanisms used to disseminate the information, and uncover its objectives.

The Service added that it would continue efforts to promptly identify similar disinformation campaigns and prevent related threats. It stated that any actions directed by external or internal actors aimed at undermining Georgia’s national interests, destabilising state institutions, violating the constitutional order, or harming national security would be met with an appropriate legal response.