GEORGIA: Foiled attack on Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline & more – 12th Mar 2026

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 12th of March twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Wednesday, the 11th, Georgia’s State Security Service launched a criminal investigation based on recently published reports by the US-based Hudson Institute and the Tbilisi-based think tank Civic Idea. These papers say Iran uses Georgia to bypass international sanctions. They also document a surge in Iranian companies in Georgia and say Iran expands its political and economic networks to undermine Western interests. The government has shown no interest in actually investigating what the report says.

Authorities summoned Giorgi Kandelaki, co-author of the paper; Tiniko Khidasheli, founder of Civic Idea and former Minister of Defense; and several other experts who gave television interviews about this topic. The State Security Service said it opened the case to examine the motives of the authors and the accuracy of the reports, while Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze called accusations about helping Iran avoid sanctions treasonous. Link to the report in the show notes.

Speaking of Iran. On Friday, the 6th, Azerbaijan announced that its security services stopped a series of planned attacks by Iran’s military. The targets included the Israeli Embassy in Baku, local Jewish community sites, and the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Around two hundred kilometers of this strategic energy corridor run through Georgian territory. The pipeline is critical for regional energy infrastructure and plays a significant role in national economy. Azerbaijani officials confirmed they found explosives and arrested several individuals in connection to the plot. Security experts view this incident as a sign that regional tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel are increasingly affecting the South Caucasus.

Tabukashvili Street. He took: 3000

Colleagues said a gambling addiction drove him to commit the crime. He faces up to seven years in prison for his actions.

Next up. Last week we covered the news about nine opposition parties forming an alliance against the ruling party. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze responded on Monday, the 9th, by suggesting the government may expand its constitutional lawsuit to ban all the parties involved in this alliance.

The ruling party filed this lawsuit in late twenty twenty-four, seeking to have major opposition parties declared unconstitutional and banned under Article twenty-three of the Constitution, which allows the Constitutional Court to prohibit parties if their activities aim to overthrow the constitutional order, threaten national independence, or incite violence. Kobakhidze says the new alliance members are offshoots of the parties already targeted by the lawsuit and stated the lawsuit's list could be updated to include them.

Speaking of Kobakhidze. On Saturday, the 7th, He participated in a televised debate with Zurab Makharadze, leader of the far-right party Conservatives for Georgia.

During the discussion, Makharadze questioned why Georgia remains a party to the Istanbul Convention, saying the treaty opposes traditional gender roles which ….the Kotsebi hilariously maintain….leads to declining birth rates. Kobakhidze responded that the government is willing to review the convention and related laws if needed.

The Istanbul Convention is an international treaty created to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic abuse. It establishes legally binding standards for governments to protect victims, prosecute perpetrators, and promote equality. In twenty twenty-five, there were twelve recorded cases of femicide and twenty-one attempted murders of women in Georgia.

On Wednesday, the 11th, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the European Parliament that the current frozen state of relations between Georgia and the EU is a major problem for his own country. He said that Georgia serves as the primary physical and political gateway to Europe for Armenia.

Armenia passed laws to start its own EU integration process specifically because Georgia previously gained candidate status. Now, the Prime Minister worries that stalled progress in Tbilisi directly blocks the ambitions of Armenia. He urged both sides to restart a constructive dialogue because the European future and regional stability of Armenia depend heavily on Georgia moving toward the bloc.

On Wednesday, the 11th, the independent media outlet "Vot Tak" reported that since twenty twenty-four, Russian courts have issued at least 180 sentences in absentia against foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine. Georgian citizens face the highest number of convictions with fifty-eight cases. Citizens from the United States and the United Kingdom follow with twenty-two and twelve sentences.

Ukrainian human rights lawyer Nikolai Polozov says that Moscow uses these trials to demonize foreign fighters. He suggests Russia has so much data on Georgians due to likely information sharing between the intelligence services of Georgia and Russia. The Georgian State Security Service has previously denied these allegations, calling them provocations.

On the night of Wednesday, the 4th, an unprecedented mass drone raid occurred across Abkhazia, Georgia’s separatist region. Local Authorities reported that approximately thirty drones were detected in the region's airspace and neutralized with the help of Russian forces.

Debris from the drones was discovered in eleven settlements, with one impact damaging a high-voltage power line in Ochamchire, causing a temporary electricity outage. Officials say the region was not the direct target and suggested the drones were likely Ukrainian units attempting to identify routes to bypass air defenses near Sochi, Russia. No casualties were reported.

On Saturday, the 7th, the Israeli Embassy published a statement on Facebook addressing a visit by Georgia's Deputy Foreign Minister to the Iranian Embassy. The official signed a condolence book for the late Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. The Iranian Ambassador posted on social media that a friend is known in times of trouble, thanking the official for their support.

The Israeli Embassy responded on Facebook, writing that true friendship between peoples is measured by their ability to distinguish those who choose the path of life, stability and cooperation, and those who choose the path of terror, extremism and violence. They wrote that Israel fights not against Iranian people, but a murderous regime that has been oppressing the people over forty years.

In Finance. On Wednesday, the 11th, National Bank Governor Natela Turnava said four commercial banks are preparing to join China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System. One of the banks is Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Cartu bank. The two largest banks in Georgia, TBC and Bank of Georgia say they have no plans of joining the Chinese system.

This system allows for direct yuan-denominated transactions. Proponents note it improves trade efficiency with China, Georgia’s fourth largest trade partner. While critics say that by operating outside Western-dominated networks like SWIFT, these banks may be creating a contingency to maintain global transaction capabilities if….or when…they face Western financial sanctions.

In Sports. On Saturday, the 7th, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White announced that Ilia Topuria will headline UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House. Scheduled for 14th of June, It marks the first professional sporting event ever held at the U.S. presidential residence.

President Donald Trump proposed the event to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Topuria, the undisputed champion, will defend his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. Approximately 5,000 guests are expected to attend on the lawn, with the Octagon serving as a centerpiece for the national anniversary celebrations.

In an article for Geopolitics titled Can an Untrustworthy Dictator Undermine the South Caucasus Connectivity, Sergi Kapanadze analyzes how Bidzina Ivanishvili sabotages Georgia’s significant economic opportunities. While Western interest in the South Caucasus as a transit route to bypass Russia grows, the Georgian dictator keeps steering the country toward geopolitical isolation.

Kapanadze details how Ivanishvili’s shift toward autocracy and his partnerships with unstable regimes like Iran damage the international trust required for these major infrastructure projects. He writes how one man’s survival strategy risks turning Georgia from a vital regional bridge into a strategic liability. If you want to understand how this domestic power grab threatens Georgia’s future economic opportunities read the full analysis. Link in the show notes.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Anything you want to tell us? info@rorshok.com.

Nakhvamdis!