How Russian Propaganda Works in Georgia: The Consequences of the Russian Disinformation in a Long-Term Perspective
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Date
2020
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Abstract
The civil wars in Georgia, in 1991-1993, that erupted after the collapse of the Soviet Union, enormously weakened the Georgian economy and resulted in the so-called "frozen conflicts" in the country. Since then, all attempts to peacefully resolve the Georgian conflicts have inevitably ended in a deadlock. The 2008 Russia-Georgia war, ended in a unilateral recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states by the Russian Federation and once again worsened the political climate between the neighbouring countries.
Currently, 20% of Georgian territories are occupied by Russia. In addition to Russia’s economic leverage against Georgia, mutual relations between the two countries have sharpened recently over Russia’s illegal borderization of the occupied Georgian territories. The Russian-baked separatist forces continuously install and erect barbed-wire border posts in one of the occupied regions of Georgia, South Ossetia, and detain Georgian people under the pretext of “illegally crossing the border”. Fundamental rights of the local population are violated daily since the occupants install barbers through people’s houses, gardens and cultivated lands.
In addition to that, the Kremlin is actively and effectively using its propaganda machine in the post-Soviet space and, of course, in Georgia as well. Russian propaganda in Georgia is growing and getting more and more powerful daily, which in turn, poses a serious threat to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
It is significant to emphasize that pro-Russian television and media, political parties, non-governmental organizations etc. are the main sources of Russian propaganda in Georgia. They actively promote anti-Western and pro-Russian narratives in the wider society and undermine the peaceful existence of Georgia as a democratic state. On the contrary, Georgia seeks to integrate into the Euro-Atlantic structures to avoid the threats coming from Russia.
The article aims to analyze Russian propaganda in Georgia and its consequences in a long-term perspective. Based on the primary and secondary sources, the author
conducts a retrospective analysis of the research topic. In order to better understand the subject, the methods ofs ystem-structural and comparative analysis are used as well.
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Keywords
The Russian propaganda, Disinformation, Georgia, Occupation