UK lawmakers warn Georgia risks becoming Russian-aligned autocracy modeled on Belarus

The UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has warned of a marked democratic backslide in Georgia, asserting that the nation’s leadership risks transforming the country into an “autocracy firmly within Russia’s sphere of influence,” mirroring the trajectory of Belarus.

According to the committee’s report, “The Committee is deeply concerned by the ongoing deterioration of democracy in Georgia; under current trends, this will lead to an autocracy firmly established within Russia’s sphere of influence, similar to Belarus.”

The authors of the report noted that while the European Union and the United Kingdom support Tbilisi’s trajectory toward Western integration—including prospects for NATO and EU membership—Russia has actively sought to obstruct this path.

The document states that these tensions formed the bedrock of the political crisis that erupted following the 2024 elections. While official results credited the ruling Georgian Dream party with 54% of the vote, the refusal of the opposition and then-President Salome Zourabichvili to recognize the outcome triggered mass protests.

The committee’s report alleges that the Georgian Dream party has consolidated power since 2012, stifling the opposition, suspending EU accession negotiations, and promoting anti-European rhetoric.

Among these measures, the report cites regulations that restrict the activities of civil society organizations and the media, including the “foreign agent” law. It also highlighted that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party’s founder, had previously faced US sanctions on the grounds that he was undermining Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic future in alignment with Russian interests.

Citing assessments from the OSCE, the report further emphasized that since the spring of 2024, the country has experienced a “significant deterioration in democratic standards,” including restrictions on the freedoms of expression and assembly.

The committee called on the British government to expand sanctions against representatives of Georgian Dream, business elites, and media outlets “spreading disinformation.”

The report stated that such a move would “significantly increase the costs for those seeking to undermine the Georgian people’s desire for European integration” and would signal that Britain supports Georgian democracy rather than autocracy.

In February 2025, Members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the non-recognition of Georgia’s new administration and continued to view Salome Zourabichvili as the country’s legal president. Zourabichvili announced that she would continue her duties as head of state, albeit from a different office.

In contrast, Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili argued that European politicians had pushed Tbilisi toward war with Russia following the start of military operations in Ukraine.

Kavelashvili stated that the Georgian people supported the administration in defending the country’s national interests. Furthermore, Kavelashvili criticized Zourabichvili’s stance, noting she “stood behind Moldova and Ukraine.”

“Nominal” candidate status for European Union membership

In the Georgia report presented at the EU enlargement summit in late autumn of the same year, the European Commission stated that it now considers the country only a “nominal” candidate due to “democratic backsliding.”

Kaja Kallas, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated at the event that unless “conditions change fundamentally,” Georgia currently has no viable path toward the European Union.

According to Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, the European Union plans to activate visa mechanisms for Georgia in an effort to ensure the country’s leadership returns to the issue of EU integration.