Georgian President: BBC film reflects deep state’s reaction to our refusal to carry out their orders

Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on Sunday alleged that unnamed foreign actors were intentionally creating a negative background around Georgia in response to what he described as the country's refusal to fulfill their “assignments”.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Kavelashvili made the remarks while commenting on a recent BBC report, which suggested that Georgian special forces may have used a World War I-era chemical irritant to disperse protests on Rustaveli Avenue at the end of 2024.

He said the report was part of a coordinated campaign designed to intensify international criticism of Georgia.

The President further added that these efforts represented “retaliatory steps” by what he called the deep state, carried out through various media and channels under their influence.

“They are engaging in large-scale, targeted disinformation. Of course, the disinformation aired by the BBC is considered heavyweight, but we have also seen the disinformation related to [the imprisoned former President] Mikheil Saakashvili - you remember what it looked like, right? Do you remember the kind of pressure there was? Almost every embassy, ambassadors publicly protested against the Georgian Government; every media outlet reported that Mikheil Saakashvili was in critical condition, that the Georgian state was torturing him, that he was on the verge of death, and that the entire international community had to demand his release and transfer abroad for treatment to save him”, Kavelashvili continued.

He argued that both the Saakashvili controversy and the BBC report serve the same purpose, as “they are part of a deliberate disinformation campaign aimed at Georgia”.