Factor K.

A Russian was detained in Georgia. He is suspected of preparing a custom -made murder. The election is coming soon. What does Ramzan Kadyrov have to do with it?

The head of Chechnya loves to make loud statements to Georgia: he will be worried about the “political destabilization” in the country and threatens with a “mythical landing”, he accuses the export of terrorists to the territory of Russia. In Tbilisi, Kadyrov’s words were perceived either with disappointment, then with irony, but never seriously. Until the name of the Chechen leader surfaced in the case of the alleged preparation of the custom -made murder of the famous Georgian journalist George Gabunia.

The other day, in the center of Tbilisi, employees of the counter -terrorism center of the SGB Georgia held a high -profile special operation to detain the “Native of the North Caucasus”. Several days after the operation on June 12, journalists could not find out either the name or the reasons for the detention, they did not give official clarifications in the SGB.

Around the mysterious detention, rumors began to multiply. The department was forced to contact reporters with calls “not to replicate the information unconfirmed officially,” but refused to comment on the case.

The name of Ramzan Kadyrov surfaced on the third day, June 15. Formula TV channel, citing a reliable source in the special services, announced the connection of the detained citizen of Russia with the Chechen head. Journalists of the TV channel claimed that a certain Vasambek Bokov, a native of Ingushetia, arrived in Georgia from Ukraine, lived in Tbilisi in a rented apartment and conducted surveillance of journalist George Gabunia.

Having fixed the circle of communication and the routes of the TV presenter, the sides were supposed to return to Ukraine with a report, and instead of him the performers had to send a killer who would commit a custom -made murder. At the same time, according to the television channel, the customer is the Chechen authorities and Ramzan Kadyrov himself.

About the fact that the possible attempt was coordinated from Ukraine, says the former fighter of the Donbass battalion, the Georgian military and official living in Kyiv, Vano Nadiradze. He claims that the name of George Gabunia surfaced after the arrest and accusation of the State Security General of the Security Service of Ukraine Valery Shaitanov in April this year. Then supposedly the Ukrainian special services transferred data on the impending attempt on the journalist to the Georgian colleagues.

And the head of the council of the oldest Pansky gorge, where the Dissexors mainly live - Georgian Chechens, Khaso Khangoshvili said that a few days before the arrest of the sides he was visiting his house and talked about his intention to return to Ukraine by a ferry from Batumi.

It is worth noting that together with Bokov, according to unconfirmed reports, the son of Khangoshvili was arrested.

All this information still has no official confirmation. Representatives of the Georgian Security Service only confirmed the fact of the investigation of the attempt on a journalist. Gabunia himself, as well as Gvaray, which is now heading the Mtarava channel, are called for interrogation.

In their statements in this case, the first persons of Georgia named after Gabunia and, especially Kadyrov. Prime Minister, President and Chairman of the Parliament thanked the state security service for the "conducting anti -terrorist operation." The agency “Timely and with the highest level of professionalism, an attempt to encroach on a person’s life,” said President Salome Zurabishvili

Let me remind you that TV presenter Georgy Gabunia became “famous” after a scandalous speech on the TV channel Rustavi-2. On July 7, 2019, he began his transfer with a monologue in Russian. At the same time, using almost exclusively obscene vocabulary - Russian mat. The addressee of his insulting appeal was Vladimir Putin.

This monologue followed spontaneous protests in Tbilisi, which began almost a year ago, June 20. The reason is the scandal around the Russian communist Sergei Gavrilov, who, as the chairman of the inter -parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy, organizers of the meeting from the ruling party “Georgian Dream” were seated in the chair of the chairman of the Georgian parliament.

Many Georgians, mainly young people, perceived this gesture as an insult and betrayal of national interests.

In the country, protests began - anti -government and against Russia's occupation by Abkhazia and South Ossetia, whose independence Moscow recognized after an armed conflict in August 2008.

The Georgians did not hear anything new in the words of Gabunia, but the very insulting form of circulation of many outraged. A fierce polemic began in society. As a result, Gabunia was removed from the program, and the general director of the Rustavi-2 television channel Nika Gvaray was forced to apologize. “There is a red line that cannot be crossed. There should also be a sense of taste and measure ... The channel categorically does not share the form of expression of the opinion of Mr. Gabunia and believes that this does not comply with either the audience or the high standards of the canal, ”Gvaray said then.

The performance of Gabunia was harshly condemned by the Georgian authorities and the Russian president himself. Russia answered with sanctions to the scandal and the subsequent protests and in the midst of the tourist season banned direct air travel between the countries.

Ramzan Kadyrov commented on what happened. In his Telegram channel, the head of Chechnya wrote that Gabunia "is neither the son of the Caucasus, nor a man, nor the highlander." “In the world, millions of young people who deeply respect Vladimir Putin. Gabunia needs to be hidden behind the family with fences, for the first person can do with him what he deserved. "

After this scandal, a lull came. Gabunia returned to television and also leads a political program, however, now under the supervision of bodyguards. And here is a new scandal with the alleged attempt.

The Kadyrov was already speaking out on this subject in his Telegram channel: “Gentlemen, believe me, if someone acts on my opinion, he will fulfill it, and if the task must be fulfilled quietly, then no one, and even more, will be in the deeper stagnation, will not recognize about it. And your wordoblud, positioning itself as a representative of the media, is already barely alive, suffers from a mania of greatness. "

It should be noted that the head of Chechnya with enviable regularity turns his eyes and thoughts towards Georgia.

Back in 2015, the Chechen authorities approved the strategy of socio-economic development of the republic until 2025. In particular, it includes a plan for the construction of the Itum-Kali road connecting Russia and Georgia through Chechnya. The document states that the road along the Argun River from Itum-Kali to the Georgian border is among the strategic investment projects of the republic initiated at the federal level. The estimated cost of work is about $ 30 million. Reconstruction of the 49-kilometer section of the road, according to the document, should begin in 2021, and end along with commissioning in 2025.

Kadyrov personally lobbyed this project and made relevant statements to the official Tbilisi. The leader of Chechnya expressed confidence that the road would help strengthen the trade between Russia and Georgia, as well as Iran and Armenia. But the Georgian authorities rejected the existence of the plan for the construction of the second border crossing with Russia. In 2016, Vladimir Putin called the construction of the road appropriate.

In Georgia, they are sure that the construction of the Itum-Kali road will strengthen Kadyrov’s position in the region, and the country will receive another equipped section of the border with unfriendly Russia.

At a close distance to Tbilisi, Kadyrov paid attention to last summer.

The words of the head of the Chechen Republic that “only 200 km from Grozny to Tbilisi,” in Georgia was perceived almost as a threat.

Much earlier, in 2010, the press service of the President of Chechnya distributed videos several times several times, where Kadyrov with binoculars in his hands tries to make out the “shaitans” at the Georgian borders. Then he believed that the Chechen militants were financing through Georgia.

“The sources of serious support - moral and financial - are now few for the militants. Previously, they received financial feeding and weapons through the territory of Georgia. Through Georgia, entire groups of bandits were sent to Chechnya. And today we can say that almost the only source where they are helped, where they are preparing, Georgia remains, ”Kadyrov said.

In the case of journalist Gabunia, there are now two main aspects - the factor of Russia represented by Kadyrov and the figure of the TV presenter himself - the main critic of the Georgian government. And here an important role is played by an internal political agenda. Firstly, it is necessary to find out how Vasambeck Bokov got to Georgia, where, as you know, from the Olympics in Sochi are not very happy with guests from the North Caucasus: at the entrance, the Georgian border guards openly repose their obstacles.

A similar “approach” in relation to the Cauccaians became the result of cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and Russia in 2014 as part of the anti -terrorist program in connection with the Olympics. Russian citizens who were born on the other side of the Caucasian ridge were interrogated for a long time at the border, some were sent back without explaining the reasons.

But, despite this, it is Georgia that remains the first country on the way to Europe, where opponents of Kadyrov and the whole Russian authorities fall from Chechnya.

Secondly, the ruling Georgian Dream party will now have to hold the balance: on the one hand, to lead the election campaign-parliamentary elections are scheduled for the end of October. Obviously, the scandal around Kadyrov for the opposition will become another trump card against the authorities. As the latest presidential elections showed, the Russian factor in election squabbles is an important weapon against opponents.

The founder of the Georgian Dream Bidzin Ivanishvili, the oligarch, who earned his billions in Russia, critics from the day of coming to power is called the "man of Putin."

The Georgian Dream, on the other hand, is declared a policy, the purpose of which is not to annoy the northern neighbor.

On the other hand, due to high public interest, the official Tbilisi is unlikely to be able to hush up the business of Gabunia. And it is not a fact that this will not entail confrontation with Russia.

Martha Ardashelia , editor-in-chief of the Russian-speaking online magazine about Georgia SOVA, especially for "New".