SSG reports effective neutralization of foreign intelligence threats to national security

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) issued a report covering the agency’s efforts in 2024. According to the report, the SSG has actively engaged in counterintelligence operations to counteract the destructive activities of foreign intelligence agencies. These efforts have focused on identifying their areas of interest, as well as the individuals and groups acting on their behalf, monitoring their activities, and ascertaining their objectives.

“As a result of the SSG’s operational, investigative, and analytical work, in conjunction with coordination from other state agencies, we effectively neutralized activities detrimental to our national interests that were inspired by foreign intelligence services.

In 2024, the Counter-Intelligence Department of the State Security Service initiated investigations into eight criminal cases arising directly from our counterintelligence efforts. Additionally, we forwarded numerous pieces of operational information collected by our units to the appropriate investigative agencies, which subsequently launched criminal investigations,” the report states.

The report also reveals that certain groups operating both domestically and internationally were planning to provoke civil unrest and destabilization in Georgia by leveraging various pretexts—such as the adoption of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and allegations of “election fraud.” Their ultimate objective was to overthrow the government through violent means.

It indicates that these actions were financed by foreign entities, as well as by leaders from specific parliamentary and non-parliamentary political parties and heads of non-governmental organizations.

“Georgians abroad actively participated in these criminal plans, particularly a segment of those engaged in fighting in Ukraine, who expressed their readiness to return to Georgia to partake in orchestrated violence against law enforcement. Such actions would have resulted in a severe escalation of the situation, including discussions about targeting government officials.

The protest organizers aimed to instigate a so-called ‘Maidan-ization’ of the current political climate. Their plans included paralyzing Tbilisi’s transportation hubs, blocking roads leading to government institutions and strategic facilities, obstructing police bases, and establishing ‘tent cities’ on major avenues.

To heighten the tension and radicalism of the protests, they intended to provoke confrontations between law enforcement and demonstrators, which they anticipated would lead to casualties. Certain youth groups were tasked with employing pyrotechnics and Molotov cocktails for this purpose.

Furthermore, organizers aimed to disrupt the Georgian presidential election process scheduled for December 14, 2024, by escalating tensions around the Georgian Parliament, creating potential casualties that the government would be held accountable for.

Law enforcement officers were specifically targeted; methods associated with orchestrating so-called ‘colour revolutions’—including threats, bribery, and staged defections of officers—were employed to foster a perceived collapse of state structures,” the SSG report elaborates.

In its 2024 report, the State Security Service highlighted that foreign intelligence agencies actively sought to establish connections with various political factions and their leaders in Georgia to promote their national interests. The report details instances where foreign operatives attempted to contact Georgian citizens, interrogate them on sensitive subjects, and recruit them for their purposes.

“During these contacts, representatives of foreign intelligence services presumably implemented technical measures to acquire sensitive information. We detected connections between certain media representatives and foreign officials, or potentially foreign intelligence agents, who provided financial support and instructions while receiving information about areas of interest in return. Additionally, we identified attempts by foreign intelligence services to exploit individuals visiting Georgia and documented suspicious activities by foreign nationals within the country, including establishing GPS coordinates and capturing footage with drones. Legal actions were taken against some of these individuals, including the activation of border control mechanisms,” the SSG report notes.

The report underscores that similar to the preceding year, 2024 was characterized by processes aimed at undermining stability and a marked increase in threats to national security.

“In light of the regional situation and heightened threats, the State Security Service maintained continuous monitoring of the operational landscape within the country. Throughout the reporting period, the Service actively carried out counterintelligence operations to neutralize the destructive activities of foreign intelligence agencies. This included identifying their areas of interest, as well as the individuals and groups acting on their behalf, monitoring their activities, and discerning their objectives.

As part of these counterintelligence efforts, the Service successfully identified the interests and aims of foreign intelligence services, along with their methods and techniques, and implemented measures to neutralize and prevent potential threats. During this period, similar to 2023, there were attempts by various actors, both before and after the parliamentary elections, to destabilize Georgia’s political environment and to force a change in government through violent means.

In 2024, the State Security Service actively enacted measures within its counterintelligence framework to prevent and suppress activities threatening the national interests of the country. These measures encompassed the use of so-called soft power, covert operations, and information warfare tools,” the report concludes.