Russian Espionage Targeting Georgia Revealed Ahead of Crucial Elections

Russian spies have been conducting extensive espionage and hacking operation against Georgia's government and major companies for several years. This campaign has involved gathering sensitive information and potentially sabotaging critical infrastructure.

Documents and technical reports indicate that Russian intelligence successfully infiltrated various institutions, including the Foreign Ministry, Finance Ministry, central bank, and key energy and telecommunications providers between 2017 and 2020. This intrusion allowed access to Georgian electricity companies, oil terminals, media platforms, and government departments.

Georgia, a vital gateway for energy and trade routes between Europe and Asia, has been at the center of the East-West geopolitical struggle for over two decades. The significance of this relationship is underscored as the country approaches parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday.

The severity and extent of these cyberattacks, previously unreported, reveal how deeply Russian influence has reached into the Caucasus nation, which has been striving to distance itself from Moscow by pursuing European Union and NATO membership. The tension escalated after the pro-Western Rose Revolution in 2003 and intensified during the brief war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008. This conflict has gained renewed focus following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which marked a significant confrontation with the West.

Georgia's upcoming elections are critical as they could determine whether the country continues its efforts to align with Western nations or shifts back towards Moscow. The ruling Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, faces opposition parties that accuse the government of neglecting ties with the U.S. and European allies in favor of closer relations with Russia.

Natia Seskuria, executive director at the Regional Institute for Security Studies in Tbilisi, remarked, “Russia has been targeting and infiltrating Georgia for many years. This is extremely concerning and particularly important in light of the upcoming elections.”

Concerns about Russian hacking influencing electoral outcomes gained prominence after the country was accused of meddling in the U.S. elections in 2016. The U.S. also attributed significant cyberattacks on various websites and media outlets in Georgia five years ago to Russia's GRU military intelligence service.

This political threat is particularly evident across Eastern Europe, from the Baltic states to Moldova, where the U.S. has accused Russia of spending millions to undermine electoral processes.

In August, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that the U.S. and its allies were "heating up the situation near Russian borders." She accused Western nations of ignoring regional interests and jeopardizing the security and stability of the states involved.

The U.S. and the EU have criticized a recent crackdown by the Georgian government on civil society groups as “Kremlin-inspired” and have previously accused Russia of launching cyberattacks against Georgia. A controversial "foreign agent" law sparked mass protests in May, prompting concerns over government attempts to control non-governmental organizations and media outlets.

In response to these developments, Brussels suspended EU membership negotiations with Georgia, while Washington imposed visa restrictions on over 60 Georgians for actions perceived as undermining democracy.

Despite this pressure, Georgia has refused to implement sanctions against Russia and has become a route for imports designed to bypass these restrictions. Ivanishvili has criticized the West, claiming that a “global war party” is leveraging NGOs to destabilize his government and provoke conflict with Russia.

The years-long spying campaign before the 2020 elections enabled Russia to monitor Georgia closely. Some hackers reportedly worked on Moscow's schedule to observe their targets in real time, while also attempting to conceal their activities.

This operation also gave Moscow the ability to disrupt Georgia’s vital infrastructure services, including power and communication networks, if necessary. Documents reveal that the GRU hacked Georgia’s Central Election Commission, likely accessing email accounts, as well as several media organizations, including popular TV channels Imedi and Maestro. Additionally, hackers gained access to the IT systems of Georgia’s national railway company for more than two years.

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