BREAKING:
Georgian Central Election Commission announces preliminary results of parliamentary elections
The blue field is the currently ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream.
According to preliminary data, the turnout was 58.94%, with 2,060,412 people voting. pic.twitter.com/mBoZNfzZRS
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 26, 2024
Russian intelligence gained access to data from Georgian energy companies, media platforms, the central bank, and government agencies from 2017 to 2020. The documents reveal that the Kremlin intensified its influence on Georgia as the country attempted to move away from a pro-Russian political path and pursue membership in the European Union and NATO. Natia Seskuria, Executive Director of the Regional Security Research Institute in Tbilisi, says that hacker operations have demonstrated that “Russia has been deliberately infiltrating Georgia for many years.” She said Russia’s primary interest is “to weaken Georgia’s pro-Western foreign policy.”
The Georgian government saw mass protests in May after adopting a “foreign agents” law, which mirrors Russia’s.
A big day for Georgia: the country chooses its path — EU integration or strengthening ties with Russia. pic.twitter.com/1Uku2rxRiV
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 26, 2024
The government claims the law is designed to monitor external influence on non-governmental organizations and the media. The law is regarded as another tool by Moscow to influence the country. During the espionage campaign, Russia could “eavesdrop” on all processes in Georgia.
🇬🇪 Georgia: Scene at the polling place #60 during the parliamentary election in the capital Tbilisi.
Result of the West appeasing the Russian imperial fascists for decades, allowing the Kremlin to run subversion operations in various nations unopposed. pic.twitter.com/WiJHjZBk6O— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) October 26, 2024
Some hackers infiltrated the systems of state institutions and other critical facilities in Georgia, monitoring their targets in real time for entire workdays.
Russian infiltration of Georgian infrastructure
It also allowed the Kremlin to interfere with Georgia’s critical infrastructure if the country’s government chose a course undesirable for Russia.
Russia’s military intelligence agency has also hacked the Central Election Commission of Georgia and likely gained access to some officials’ email accounts. Russian intelligence assaulted several media outlets, including Georgia’s two most popular TV channels, Imedi and Maestro. The GRU also had access to several IT systems of Georgia’s national railway company for over two years.
Hackers linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service carried out a months-long covert operation in Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to monitor the emails of high-ranking officials and extract data stored in Georgian embassies around the world. The Central Election Commission of Georgia stated that its computer servers were targeted in a hacker attack on April 5, 2021, but this attack “did not affect” its systems. European officials said their Western colleagues had previously warned Georgian authorities about the threat of Russian cyberattacks.
However, it is unclear whether any measures were taken.
