2009 Articles

Georgia's mutiny mystery

Mitchell, Lincoln A.

According to Georgian Defense Minister David Sikharulidze, the news this week that the Georgian government had thwarted a presumably Russian-backed mutiny on May 5 was evidence that Russia had engaged in an attempt at "disrupting NATO exercises and overturning the [Georgian] authorities militarily." For opposition leaders such as Zviad Dzidziguri, the whole affair was "yet another stage show" concocted by President Mikheil Saakashvili's government to discredit the country's domestic opposition. Information is still becoming available, but determining the truth is likely to be difficult because both sides have enough evidence to present a fairly convincing case.