Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of December 9-15, 2024

Second president of Georgia and continuation of protests, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, Zarema Musaeva’s case, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of December 9-15, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Second president of Georgia and continuation of protests

The protests have been taking place in the cities of Georgia for the 18th day. On December 14, members of the ruling “Georgian Dream” Party elected a new president. This is the first indirect election of the leader of Georgia: a college of 300 electors voted for him, not voters. The only presidential candidate was Mikhail Kavelashvili, a former MP and football player nominated by the ruling party. Since current Georgian president Salome Zurabishvili announced the extension of her mandate, after the election there will actually be two presidents in the country. This fact will increase confrontation in society and tension in relations with the West, political analysts emphasize.

At the same time, the “People’s Power” political group (platform) separated from the “Georgian Dream” Party, announcing that it would now be a “healthy opposition.” One of the leaders, Guram Macharashvili, has claimed that a force is needed that would criticize the authorities for the sake of their movement forward. The “People’s Power” political group participated in the parliamentary elections on the list of the “Georgian Dream” Party. The political group was created in the summer of 2022 by a group of “Georgian Dream” members who formally left the ruling party. They continued to be members of the parliamentary majority, supporting all controversial decisions of the “Georgian Dream” Party, and sometimes even initiated scandalous draft laws themselves.

On December 15, three marches along the streets of Tbilisi were held by activists from the art sphere, migrants from Abkhazia, and observers at the parliamentary elections. They demanded that Georgia return to the path of European integration. The day before, participants of the “March of Mothers” walked through the streets of Tbilisi and joined the protesters in front of the parliament building, where the voting for the presidential election was taking place.

On December 13, students, IT and financial sector specialists, musicians, activists of the creative sphere, and marketers came out to protest in Tbilisi. They demand the resumption of the process of Georgia’s European integration and holding new parliamentary elections.

On December 11, public sector employees dissatisfied with the suspension of European integration held a march in Tbilisi.

The violent dispersal of the protests in front of the Georgian parliament building leads to an increase in the number of their participants, and the number of demonstrators varies from several thousand to tens of thousands, Georgian analysts note. NGOs have united to help those affected by the actions of law enforcers.

Since November 28, fifteen Russian citizens were detained at protests in Georgia, and three of them have been arrested. After Beslan Kmuzov, a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent, had been detained at a protest action in Tbilisi, officials from the migration service in Georgia called him for a conversation. Meanwhile, the journalist has been legally living in the country since 2007. An advocate believes that summoning of Beslan Kmuzov to the Georgian migration service is motivated by political pressure.

A delegation of seven members of the European Parliament, which visited Tbilisi, supported the protesters on December 12. The MEPs came to Rustaveli Avenue after negotiations with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, opposition coalitions, and NGO activists.

The US Department of State decided not to issue US visas to some members of the Georgian government. “The Department of State is announcing additional action today under the visa restriction policy that prohibits visa issuance to those who are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia,” the US Department of State announced on its official website.

Officials from several government agencies have submitted letters of resignations because of their disagreement with the policies pursued by the “Georgian Dream” Party.

Drone attacks

On December 15, Grozny was attacked by drones, and the air defence forces shot down several drones. On his Telegram channel, Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed the drone attack on Grozny.

On December 15, several drones launched from the direction of Ukraine were shot down in the Tuapse District, district head Sergey Boyko reported on his Telegram channel.

On the same night, according to the information released by the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD), the air defence forces shot down over the Black Sea 13 drones launched from the direction of Ukraine.

On December 12, five drones were destroyed not far from the city of Novoshakhtinsk, and there were no casualties or damage, reported Acting Governor of the Rostov Region Yuri Slyusar. Four more drones were shot down in the Rostov Region, the Acting Governor of the Rostov Region reported on his Telegram channel on the other day.

On the night of December 12, in addition to one drone in Chechnya, the Russian air defence forces neutralized three drones in North Ossetia, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported on its Telegram channel. The drones were shot down in the Mozdok District, Sergey Menyailo, the leader of North Ossetia, reported on his Telegram channel.

On the night of December 11, the city of Taganrog was subjected to a missile attack, Acting Governor of the Rostov Region Yuri Slyusar reported. “An industrial enterprise was damaged, and fourteen cars were burned down in a parking lot. According to the preliminary information, no one was hurt,” the Acting Governor of the Rostov Region reported.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

A court sentenced Pavel Prokudin, a blogger of Volgograd, to 2.5 years of imprisonment, finding him guilty of insulting the feelings of believers and inciting hatred towards the Russian military. According to the court’s information, during his video broadcast, Pavel Prokudin “expressed a negative assessment using foul language” regarding God, as well as a “negative assessment” of believers. Furthermore, the blogger “rudely” gave a “negative assessment” of the Russian military.

Altynbek Burambaev, a resident of the Astrakhan Region, was fined 30,000 roubles for posting a video of “pro-Ukrainian content.” According to the ruling of the Kharabalinsky District Court, the video depicted a drone attack on the positions of the Russian Armed Forces. The court considered the video to be discrediting the Russian military.

Zarema Musaeva’s case

On November 19, it became known that Zarema Musaeva, involved as a suspect in a new criminal case on an attack on a law enforcer, was transferred to a SIZO (pre-trial prison) in Grozny. Zarema Musaeva moves on crutches, and she is not taken to a hospital. In November, in Chechnya, law enforcers interrogated Zarema Musaeva for the first time in the criminal case on the attack on a penal colony warder.

On December 13, Zarema Musaeva was charged with disrupting the penal colony’s activities. The defendant denies the investigators’ version that she allegedly hit an officer of the Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN). Under the new charge, Zarema Musaeva faces up to five years of imprisonment, advocate Alexander Savin reports.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By December 15, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 5459 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2626 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 2833 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 1149 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 1035, in the Krasnodar Territory – 602, in the Rostov Region – 600, in the Stavropol Territory – 548, in the Astrakhan Region – 421, in North Ossetia – 329, in Chechnya – 216, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 204, in Kalmykia – 106, in Ingushetia – 97, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 83, and in Adygea – 69.