During the 2024 parliamentary elections period, the Russian propagandist Alexander Malkevich, who has been sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, and other countries and is wanted by the U.S. (the U.S. offers a 10 million dollar reward for information about his whereabouts), was present in Georgia.
Malkevich has been in violation of the Law of Georgia “On Occupied Territories”. Moreover, he has been actively assisting the separatists. For example, Malkevich visited Tskhinvali on 25 October 2023 to celebrate the so-called Independence Day of the separatists. On October 26, the so-called president of the separatist region Alan Gagloev awarded Malkevich with a Medal of Friendship.
Left: information on the US award; On the right - Alexander Malkevich and Alan Gagloev.
Alexander Malkevich is one of the heads of the propagandist operations of the Russian intelligence service. Malkevich is involved in strengthening Russia's occupation policy, including in the occupied territories of Georgia.
The Georgian state bodies have not expressed an official stance on this issue. The Ministry of Internal Affairs did not respond to journalists’ questions on how the lawbreaker was able to enter Georgia. The Central Election Commission, which gave accreditation to the propagandist on the elections, issued a statement that the accreditation was given to the representative of the Russian media organization in accordance with election law, that the Commission does not have access to the person’s legal status and that this topic does not fall within the authority of the Commission. The leader of the parliamentary majority, Mamuka Mdinaradze, made a sarcastic comment: “We are in Chelyabinsk, you say, so if a Russian entered Chelyabinsk, what is the problem?!”
Information on the links between Malkevich and the Russian intelligence services, including his involvement in campaigns against the territorial integrity of Georgia, is widely available. As such, the question arises as to why Malkevich was in Georgia, who gave him permission to enter Georgia, and why the Georgian security services did not act when they had all the legitimate grounds for action, as Malkevich has at the very least committed the crime provided for in Article 322 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (violation of the rules for entering occupied territories).
The silence of the state bodies and the sarcasm of the Georgian Dream leads one to believe that the state wants to divert attention from Malkevich's visit, which in turn raises additional questions regarding the possible goals of the visit of one of the heads of FSB propaganda operations.
One clue to the real purpose of Malkevich's visit to Tbilisi may be a detail that has been overlooked until now - his meeting with the newly founded political party "Solidarity for Peace." Malkevich was at the party's office and held a meeting with its members. Following the meeting, the Russian channel TB-3 showed an interview with the chairman of the party, Mikheil Zghenti, who highlighted their achievements in Russian-Georgian relations: the abolition of the visa regime for tourist visits and subsequently the granting of temporary work rights to citizens, the restoration of direct flights, etc.
After returning to Russia, Malkevich posted information on his telegram channel that he met with Mamuka Pipia, the international secretary of the “Solidarity for Peace” party, noting that Pipia “is a very interesting and deep person” who believes (and does not hide) that “Georgia and Russia should again overcome their differences and unite.” In the telegram post, Malkevich also discussed the aforementioned political party and underlined the fact that “it was precisely this Georgian party that asked President Vladimir Putin to completely abolish the visa regime”.
What is the “Solidarity for Peace” party that hosted the meeting with Malkevich
According to the business registry, the public organization “Solidarity for Peace” was registered on February 2, 2021, but was transformed into a political party in December 2023. The aforementioned party is associated with the celebration of the 241st anniversary of the signing of the “Treaty of Georgievsk” in Telavi on August 4, 2024. During the said celebration, the party put forward a demand for the conclusion of a “new Treaty of Georgievsk”. The chairman of the party Mikheil Zghenti stated that “it is time to restore a unified security system. Our peoples need a new Georgievsk, our peoples need a new union”.
According to the “Myth Detector”, the party leadership has a close relationship with Andria Partskhaladze, the son of the former Head Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. on the grounds of his collaboration with the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB). Prior to registration as a political party, Andria Partskhaladze was one of the active members of the organization. The organization’s chairman, Merab Tchikashvili, confirmed to “Freedom Monitor” in a film published on 26 March 2022 that Andria Partskhaladze was cooperating with them at Tchikashvili’s personal request. On 27 May 2022, Andria Partskhaladze founded the non-governmental organization “Union of Conservatives,” with the chairman of the aforementioned non-governmental organization being Archil Bubuteishvili, who in turn was a member of the Diplomatic Affairs and Foreign Policy Committee of the “Solidarity for Peace” party.
Andria Partskhaladze on the YouTube channel “Solidarity for Peace”. In the 25 January 2022 video, he speaks about problems in the education system.
Within days of being sanctioned by the U.S., Otar Partskhaladze transferred ownership of three agricultural plots in Tsavkisi village to Andria Partskhaladze, along with two apartments in a Bakuriani hotel complex, three commercial areas in the Vake district and three apartments in the Saburtalo district, as well as shares in several companies. At the same time, the National Bank made a specific exception after the sanctions on Partskhaladze and relieved commercial banks of the obligation to extend sanctions to a Georgian citizen if he had not been convicted by the Georgian judicial system.
The leader and international secretary of the “Solidarity for Peace” party, Mamuka Pipia, is a Georgian businessman residing in Russia. He is one of the persons who came with the Russian "Azimut" flight from Moscow on 20 May 2023 after the resumption of flights between Russia and Georgia. Among the photos published on Mamuka Pipia's Instagram are photos of him with famous Russian figures. In September 2023, he shared a photo from the Georgian Parliament and, as it was later revealed, entered the parliament with the permission of Vasil Chigogidze, a member of the Georgian Dream.
According to him, Mamuka Pipia is a refugee from Abkhazia. However, after Ukrainian forces entered Kursk and occupied several settlements in the summer 2024, Pipia traveled to the region and brought humanitarian aid: “We want to assist Russians, because when we needed it, in 1992, [they helped us]. I myself am a refugee from Abkhazia, I have experienced this fate. Many from our party, many Georgians know what it is like to leave their home”.
Interestingly, Mamuka Pipia's income as listed on Russian open sources is humble: 472,000 rubles in 2021 and up to 1,600,000 rubles in 2019, which, according to the exchange rates at the time, amounts to a total of 30,000 US dollars. Information about his business activities is not available in open sources. However, Mamuka Pipia owns real estate in the center of Moscow, on Tverskaya Street (Тверская Улица), where the price of a square meter starts at 8,000$, as well as a 750 square meter house in the elite Ramenki suburb. He also has a house in the Saratov Oblast, in the city of Engels. The price of these properties found in open sources amounts to several dozen million dollars.
It should be noted that the “Solidarity for Peace” party is generally aligned with the politics of the Georgian government and their narratives are not different from the rhetoric of the Georgian Dream. The party, meanwhile, is allegedly backed by Russian citizens: former Head Prosecutor of the country Otar Partskhaladze, a businessman with a large fortune of unknown origin Mamuka Pipia, and others. The party considers the restoration of flights to the Russian Federation, the abolition of the visa regime, and others to be its own "merit" and achievement.
At this stage, it is unknown what the party’s specific task may be, although the open and public meeting with Malkevich is additional proof confirming that the newly-created party has links to persons with close relations with Russian intelligence services.
Conclusion
Considering the fact that Alexander Malkevich is wanted and/or sanctioned by the European Union and the U.S., his crossing of any country free of Russian influence represents a threat. In the case of Georgia, this threat would be increased by him committing at least one crime under the Criminal Code of Georgia by entering the occupied territories of Georgia. In other words, by visiting Georgia, he put himself at risk of arrest, criminal prosecution, and/or extradition to the United States. Considering these circumstances, Malkevich would not have entered Georgian territories without security guarantees. We consider it impossible that he would be granted de facto immunity for the criminal acts committed by him and that this would be enforced without the involvement of Georgia's highest (political) officials and the security sector.
Analysis of the facts has also revealed the links between the influential propagandist with links to Russian intelligence services Alexander Malkevich and Otar Partskhaladze, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. Malkevich's visit to Georgia and his free movement, his accreditation, and finally his visit to the office of a pro-Russian party coupled with his extensive comments make us believe that this is part of an operation by Russian special services to influence Georgia that is moving from the shadows to the formal space.
It is difficult to name the concrete reason for Malkevich’s visit to Georgia. It is unlikely that the purpose of the visit was merely to coordinate or accomplish a similar task, as this could have been accomplished without publicity through remote communications and/or through an intermediary. Therefore, it appears that the purpose of Malkevich’s visit to territories controlled by Georgia with free entry and movement is a message from the Kremlin, on international and national levels, that they are currently in control of the situation. Specifically, to demonstrate to security sector representatives at the international and local levels that the perpetrator of a crime against the national security of the United States and Georgia operates freely in Georgian-controlled territory and that operations of Russian influence in Georgia are not under threat.
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