The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) has detained Zviad Kuprava, a member of the Tbilisi Sakrebulo (City Council), representing the opposition United National Movement party.

Lasha Magradze, First Deputy Head of the State Security Service, stated at the briefing that Kuprava’s arrest is connected to a video address he disseminated concerning the disruption of elections.

According to the SSSG, Kuprava committed acts envisaged under Articles 317 and 353 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which entail public calls for the overthrow of state authority and resistance against a representative of authority to terminate their activities.

“A few minutes ago, State Security Service officers arrested Zviad Kuprava, a current member of the political party United National Movement and the Tbilisi City Council.

According to investigation materials, on September 30, 2025, Zviad Kuprava posted a video on social media in which he called on citizens to disrupt the October 4 elections and overthrow state authority.

To disguise the criminal nature of this call and avoid corresponding liability, he referred to the elections as a Russian special operation, to polling stations as special operation stations, and to state authority as Ivanishvili, which naturally cannot exclude the criminality of the act envisaged by the Criminal Code of Georgia. Additionally, Kuprava resisted our representatives during his arrest.

Accordingly, Zviad Kuprava committed acts envisaged under Articles 317 and 353 of the Criminal Code, which entail public calls for the overthrow of state authority and resistance against a representative of authority to terminate their activities.

It is noteworthy that in his video address, he also stated the motive for committing the crime; he issued an ultimatum to the state authority demanding the release from imprisonment of the convicted Mikheil Saakashvili and other accused or convicted persons whom he referred to as political prisoners. It is also necessary to note the fact that, apart from calling for the overthrow of state authority, the accused was announcing the commission of another crime envisaged under Article 162 of the Criminal Code, which entails obstructing the exercise of will in elections through violence or threat of violence.

The State Security Service will carefully examine all similar statements or acts committed with criminal intent for legal assessment and appropriate response,” Lasha Magradze declared.

In the video address, Zviad Kuprava stated: “On October 4, from morning we shall begin a citywide movement and we shall definitely break through one ‘special operation’ stations out of 500, after which we get the domino principle and Ivanishvili will be overthrown.”