“Former team members were financing Khabeishvili, and specific so-called journalists at TV Pirveli, other so-called journalists. There was a certain circle of people who were carrying out the PR packaging of these processes,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated on Imedi Live.

In response to questions about the events of October 4 and those who were detained, the Prime Minister stated that “the authorities issued prior warnings that the law would be enforced with full severity.”

“Over four years, there were five different attempts at a coup or revolution. All of this was supported from outside, organised internally, and specific criminal acts took place. Several dozen people ended up behind bars because of these criminal actions. We issued a prior warning to everyone that if anyone got out of hand, the law would be enforced against them with full severity.

They didn’t believe us, but in the end, they received a tangible response. It seems they didn’t trust our word. We had been saying that the state was stronger than before. You may remember the attempted revolution in 2023; at the time, only one person was detained despite widespread violence. Then, a year later, in spring 2024, there was another attempt, and only six people were detained, even though hundreds of individuals were involved in serious criminal acts. This created a temptation, when only one or six people are detained, a sense develops among the public that such crimes could be repeated, and that, with a very high probability, there would be no repercussions. We warned people in late 2024, as we moved into 2025, that their criminal actions would no longer go unpunished. They didn’t believe us, but they ultimately faced concrete sanctions.

I hope this will serve as an example to anyone contemplating committing a crime in the future, and that ultimately it will be for their benefit; such a preventive measure will deter them from engaging in such activities, which is our responsibility. We do not wish anyone to end up in prison; we want to prevent crime altogether. This very preventive effect was ultimately achieved through the imprisonment of certain individuals, which was simply unavoidable if we aimed to have a deterrent impact.

Today, the state is significantly stronger than it was one, two, or three years ago, and even more so now, and we are prepared to ensure that such scenarios are not repeated. I believe that today their resources are very limited; the resources of any potential perpetrators of violence are very constrained. That is why certain forces are no longer employing blackmail against our country. They are aware that no blackmail tactics will succeed in triggering revolutionary processes in Georgia.

One such potential measure was the suspension of visa liberalisation; however, this approach also proved ineffective. I believe the main reason is that everyone understood the situation clearly. It was understood that no single instrument of blackmail could compel Georgian society to take a step against its own country and national interests.

The mention in the European Commission’s report on visa liberalisation was also a minor attempt at blackmail, although, in terms of practical action, I think that in this case, specific bureaucrats are acting more pragmatically,” Kobakhidze stated.