Ex-President Saakashvili: With few exceptions, the opposition is either under investigation, bought off, or lounging on beaches

“The opposition, with a few exceptions, remains inactive because criminal cases have been opened against them and they fear ending up in prison, or they have been bought off, or they believe that defending Georgia will play into my hands, or they are simply lounging on beaches or holidaying abroad, unable to find the time to say anything,” former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on social media.

According to him, “a segment of the public genuinely believes Russian propaganda, another segment is outright treasonous, yet the majority has fallen into apathy, waiting for the outcome of the war in Ukraine.”

“The fact that in recent days we have let incredibly treasonous statements pass that effectively amount to mass surrender to the enemy is driven by the following factors: the opposition, with a few exceptions, remains inactive because criminal cases have been opened against them and they fear ending up in prison, or they have been bought off, or they believe that defending Georgia will play into my hands, or they are simply lounging on beaches or holidaying abroad, unable to find the time to say anything. A segment of the public genuinely believes Russian propaganda, another segment is outright treasonous. Yet the majority has fallen into apathy, waiting for the outcome of the war in Ukraine, as if Ukraine’s victory will hand us victory on a silver platter and Ivanishvili will simply vanish into thin air.

Furthermore, people see the opposition’s passivity and are demotivated as a result. This capitulation to the enemy will have concrete consequences: Ivanishvili, on Russian orders, is preparing the official recognition of the surrender of Georgian territories, and the silence of this August has convinced him that no one will speak out (which he previously feared). To save his own skin, he will inevitably recognise Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as independent states in the near future; first by signing a non-aggression pact, and subsequently through full recognition.

The stopwatch on Georgia’s existence is ticking, and amidst the silence of the people and politicians, it is rapidly moving toward a fatal conclusion. Truly, only Ukraine’s victory – which is near – can save us. Until then, by reviving our resistance, we must buy precious time. On a positive note, amidst the near-universal despondency among Georgians, 80 per cent of Ukrainians, according to recent polls, believe in victory and are prepared to endure for as long as it takes,” Saakashvili wrote.