SSSG Chief reveals foreign-backed plot to overthrow government through civil unrest

State Security Service (SSSG) Chief Anri Okhanashvili, who presented the agency’s 2024 activity report to Parliament, stated that groups operating both within Georgia’s territory and abroad had planned to provoke civil unrest aimed at violently overthrowing the government.

“During the reporting period, certain groups of individuals operating within Georgia’s territory and beyond its borders were planning to provoke civil unrest and destabilization in Georgia under various pretexts—including the adoption of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and alleged “falsification” of parliamentary elections—with the ultimate goal of violently changing the government,” Okhanashvili stated.

According to Okhanashvili, Georgian citizens living outside the country’s borders actively participated in these criminal schemes at various periods.

“Specifically, a particular segment of Georgian fighters in Ukraine declared their readiness to come to Georgia and actively participate in planned violence against police, which was intended to lead to extreme escalation of the situation. Additionally, plans for the liquidation of ruling party officials were being considered,” Anri Okhanashvili declared.

Furthermore, as Okhanashvili noted, the organizers of protest rallies aimed for the so-called “Maidanization” of ongoing processes.

“Plans included paralysing Tbilisi’s transport hubs, blocking access roads to government institutions and strategic facilities, blockading law enforcement deployment bases, and establishing so-called tent cities on central avenues. The protest organisers also planned to disrupt Georgia’s presidential election process on December 14, 2024. To this end, they considered maximally escalating the situation in the territory adjacent to Georgia’s Parliament, which was supposed to result in casualties with responsibility placed on the government,” Anri Okhanashvili stated.

According to Okhanashvili’s assessment, the SSSG’s implementation of appropriate operational and preventive measures—such as providing timely public information about existing threats—prevented destructive processes and helped maintain a stable environment.

According to the State Security Service report, in 2024, efforts under the so-called soft power policy were actively pursued to enhance influence in regions with ethnic and religious minorities. The report also identified the activation of certain groups linked to foreign special services, aimed at promoting separatist and nationalist ideologies and fostering related sentiments.

According to the report, in 2024, foreign special services in Georgia actively attempted to establish connections with various political forces and their leaders to advance their own countries’ interests.

“The SSSG continuously monitored processes and controlled the operational situation in this direction. The identification of political and religious figures connected to foreign special services, as well as forces participating in inciting nationalist and separatist sentiments, continued. Appropriate measures were taken to prevent and counter processes undesirable for the country’s interests. I want to highlight a concerning fact that in 2024, one of the primary objectives of foreign forces was to intensify efforts targeting Georgia’s youth. Their goal was an attempt to form a new generation loyal to foreign countries and close to their national/public values,” Anri Okhanashvili declared in Parliament.

According to Okhanashvili, extensive measures were implemented to prevent and counteract the disruptive activities of foreign special services, as well as state and non-governmental organizations, targeting Georgia’s youth.

“In 2024, the State Security Service, within the framework of counterintelligence activities, continued work in the direction of identifying foreign special services’ spheres of interest and aspirations in Georgia, as well as the methods and forms of their activities. From a security perspective, 2024, much like the previous year, was characterized by numerous initiatives aimed at undermining stability and a significant escalation in threats. Amid the complex regional dynamics and heightened risks, the State Security Service continuously monitored and managed the operational situation across the country’s territory to ensure national security and stability.

Foreign special services paid particular attention to Georgia’s domestic and foreign political processes, as well as obtaining levers of economic influence over the country. As a result of the SSSG’s operational, operational-investigative, and analytical work, including coordination with other state bodies, it was possible to neutralize measures inspired by foreign special services that would damage the country’s national interests,” Anri Okhanashvili declared.

According to the report, in 2024, as a result of the State Security Service’s counterintelligence activities, the Counterintelligence Department initiated investigations into eight criminal cases.