Zourabichvili Warns Russia Is Testing Hybrid Warfare in Georgia
By Messenger Staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Georgia's fifth President Salome Zourabichvili has urged European partners not to underestimate Russia's use of hybrid warfare in Georgia, warning that propaganda, using social media and artificial intelligence, is spreading narratives that once seemed implausible.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum in Warsaw, Poland, Zourabichvili said Russia was using propaganda to reshape historical narratives and influence public opinion, despite Georgia's decades of experience dealing with Russian disinformation.
"We have seventy years of experience dealing with Russian propaganda. We know how to distinguish propaganda from reality and truth. However, I am quite astonished by the fact that propaganda still holds some sway," she said.
Zourabichvili pointed to claims that Russia had protected Georgia from the outside world through the 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk, arguing that the agreement ultimately paved the way for the Russian Empire to abolish Georgia's statehood, monarchy and church.
"The fact that some people repeat this is just as alarming as learning that there may be groups in Germany arguing that two states are better than one," she said.
She warned that propaganda was particularly concerning in rural areas, where people may have less access to outside information, and amid limited availability of free, opposition-aligned media.
"A narrative that previously seemed impossible is suddenly becoming a reality due to massive propaganda, social media, artificial intelligence, the dissemination of vast amounts of propaganda via television, and the scarcity or virtual absence of free, opposition-aligned media," Zourabichvili said.
"My message to European partners is not to underestimate what Russia is testing in Georgia: it is hybrid warfare," she added.
Asked about Georgia's political standoff, in which the ruling party has not backed down and protesters have yet to achieve their goals, Zourabichvili said developments in Ukraine would be crucial to Georgia's future.
"I believe the answer lies, in part, in Ukraine's victory," she said.
Zourabichvili argued that the Georgian Dream government's political direction was closely linked to Russia's position and its war against Ukraine. She said the government's shift toward an anti-European course began in the summer of 2021, when Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine.
"We see this very clearly in Georgia: whenever the regime senses weakness from Moscow, it begins to tremble; instability then spills over into Georgia, because their presence here exists unequivocally because of and thanks to Russia," she said.
She also called on Western partners not to fear Russia's defeat, arguing that a democratic political system was incompatible with maintaining an empire of Russia's size.
"It is very difficult to envision a democratic Russia that still spans one-seventh of the world's landmass. These concepts are incompatible; history teaches us that one cannot be both a democracy and an empire at the same time. We must not fear a Russian defeat; that is the most important thing," Zourabichvili said.
