New details have emerged in the investigation into explosive material brought into Georgia from Ukraine, which were discussed at today’s briefing held at the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG).

As noted at the briefing, despite one of the detained suspects indicating in testimony that the explosive material’s final destination was the Russian Federation, operational materials show that at this stage only one final location is evident: a residential building in Tbilisi’s Avlabari district.

“Two Ukrainian citizens have been detained who were found with 2.4 kilograms of the explosive substance Hexogen. This material entered Georgia via Romania, Bulgaria and Turkiye. In the day and a half since the suspects’ arrest, several additional investigative and operational activities have been carried out, from which it emerges that the Mercedes lorry driver was given the explosive material on Ukrainian territory by employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which is confirmed by one of the detained suspects’ testimony. They told him he had to bring this substance into Georgian territory and hand it over to a specific person they indicated.

Despite the detainee indicating in testimony about the explosive material’s final destination that it was supposed to go to the Russian Federation and, according to him, the so-called ‘Operation Spiderweb 2’ was to be carried out there, the investigation and other operational materials at this stage show only one final location: a residential building in Tbilisi’s Avlabari district.

Precisely for this reason, alongside other lines of investigation, active efforts are underway to determine whether there is any link between the said incident and the October 4 elections, as well as the plans announced by radical groups in relation to them.

The State Security Service continues to keep the public informed about this case, as we believe that sharing the information that Georgian special services can disclose is important for the country’s security and preventative measures,” the SSSG stated.

Based on operational information received, the State Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia detained two Ukrainian citizens yesterday following their operational and investigative activities.