Persons detained in Georgia have no attitude to Russian special agencies, power agent says

According to Zurab Gvenetadze, spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the detainees in a large-scale operation under the code name "Enver", conducted with the aim to identify those recruited by the Russian intelligence service, are in pre-trial custody. According to a competent source in Russian law enforcement agencies, the persons arrested in Georgia on charges of spying for Russia have nothing to do with Russian special agencies.

Let us remind you that today Otar Ordzhonikidze, deputy director of the Department of Counterintelligence of the Georgian MIA, told at an emergency briefing about detention of 13 persons, four of them Russians, on charges of spying for Russia.

According to Zurab Gvenetadze, the operation conducted by the agents of the Department of Counterintelligence of the Georgian MIA, dozens of persons were identified, collaborating or otherwise linked with Russia's special services, in particular, with the Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Apart from the 13 detainees, two more citizens of Georgia were released after striking a procedural deal, which assumes that the defendant has plead guilty and agreed to cooperate with the investigation, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

Among the Russian citizens detained in Georgia are Armen Gevorgyan and Ruben Shikoyan, director general and his deputy, accordingly, of the branch of the "Seibolt" Company in Georgia, businessmen Petre Devshiradze and Yuri Skrylnikov.

Among the detained Georgian citizens are businessmen Bakur Kiguradze and Ruslan Galogre and six pilots of the Armed Forces of Georgia. Besides, Eduard Abdulaev, a sailor and radio operator, is accused of spying.

According to an anonymous competent source in Russian law enforcement bodies, who spoke to the "Interfax", the above Georgian detainees, suspected of spying for Russia, have nothing to do with Russian special services.

Let us remind you that in 2006 a huge "spy scandal" burst out, when Georgia arrested four Russian militaries accused of spying for Russia. Then, some analysts were inclined to believe that the arrests were made without the adequate evidences.

Thus, Emil Adelkhanov, a well-known Georgian human rights activist and a member of the Board of the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (Tbilisi), did not exclude in his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" that the detention of Russian citizens had been made "just to spite Russia."

"If we trace the chronology of events, then, after the famous statement of President Saakashvili that 'the country swarms with spies', a certain Gennady Gurov was arrested: for his announcement on the Internet that he was ready to sell NKVD (Interior Ministry in early Soviet Days) top secret documents of 1927 with personal signatures of Lavrenti Beriya, he was charged of espionage and treason. Gurov spent 6 months in custody and then released with a year-long conditional sentence for possession of two gun rounds. Probably, they just mastered the technique of detentions," said Emil Adelkhanov.

"Then they arrested Simon Kiladze, which could already be present as a major figure, as he worked for the office of the President. Then, the 'Kvitsiani munity' was just in time, making it possible to arrest rather prominent figures - former security minister Batiashvili and General Ivanov. Then went a broad range of supporters of Igor Giorgadze and persons who had no relation to Giorgadze (like monarchist-traditionalist Zhorzholiani and Zviadist Davitaya), accused again of cooperation with Russia and attempted revolt. Then, they arrested Russian officers - agents from the GRU, who were later handed over to Russia, but nothing is so far heard about the Georgian citizens (not Giogradze supporters and the like, but those directly accused of collaborating with the GRU), who were arrested with them," said the expert.

"We should not exclude that the foreign policy factor had played its role in all these arrests," Mr Adelkhanov told the "Caucasian Knot", suggesting that this is the way the authorities decided to "warn the opposition." "At least, this was the way the opposition had treated these arrests and behaved pretty quietly," he said.