UNM’s Bokuchava accuses ruling party of serving Kremlin interests after ‘betrayal commission’ report

Tina Bokuchava, head of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), on Tuesday accused Georgia’s ruling authorities of working under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming the recently issued report by what she called a “betrayal commission” was designed to undermine the state.

Speaking at a press briefing, Bokuchava alleged that the commission, headed by Culture Minister Tea Tsulukiani, was comparable to Soviet-era practices. She drew a parallel between Tsulukiani and her late father, saying that just as he had signed death sentences against Georgian citizens during Soviet rule, Tsulukiani was now attempting to issue a “death sentence” against the Georgian state itself.

Bokuchava also condemned a court ruling sentencing eight young people to prison, calling them political prisoners, and argued that the parliamentary process surrounding the report amounted to a direct attack on Georgia’s sovereignty and its historical truth.

She described the Government as “an anti-Georgian, anti-national, criminal gang” seeking to rewrite history, discredit national heroes, and ultimately deliver Georgia into Moscow’s control through subjugation and territorial fragmentation.

“The UNM stood, stands, and will continue to stand guard over the Georgian state”, Bokuchava said, calling for public unity, consolidation, and protest to counter what she described as a betrayal of national interests.