Russian Interference in Georgian Elections Exposed
Georgia‘s parliamentary elections were allegedly interfered with by Russia. A fact-checking platform, Myth Detector, discovered an audio recording that showed a person claiming to be Giorgi Taktakishvili, the leader of “Vote for Europe”, threatening a representative of the OSCE/ODIHR observer mission.
The recording was made on October 29 and released on a Russian Telegram channel. In it, the person claims that the OSCE/ODIHR spokesperson, Katya Andrusz, should not take bribes from the Georgian government. The caller also threatened to harm her if she did.
Taktakishvili denies making the call, saying the voice in the recording is different and mispronounces his organization’s name. However, experts who analyzed the audio say it may have been edited or synthesized using deepfake technology.
The OSCE/ODIHR spokesperson confirmed that she received such a call before the elections. Other observer missions also reported receiving similar calls.
Experts from four organizations said they found signs of editing in the recording. They detected unnatural pauses, gaps, and a deep voice tone, which may suggest that the recording was made using artificial intelligence.
The publication of the audio on a Russian Telegram channel and the fact that the calls were made from an area close to the Russian border raise suspicions of Russian involvement. An executive director of the Media Development Fund said this is an alleged Russian special operation to interfere in Georgia’s internal affairs.
Similar operations by Russia have been aimed at intimidating local activists and international observers. The incident underlines Russia’s continued efforts to interfere in Georgian elections, particularly targeting anti-Russian forces.
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