Putin aims to thwart Georgia's Western aspirations during crucial election.

On Saturday, Georgians will vote in crucial parliamentary elections, despite facing challenges in moving closer to the West and being under the scrutiny of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The small nation of Georgia, which was once part of the Soviet Union, faces high stakes as it tries to balance heavy Russian influence since declaring independence in 1991 and its desire to join the European Union and move closer to the West.

According to Natia Seskuria, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, Russia's interest lies in Georgia's isolation from its allies and the halt of the EU integration process, as she stated in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital.

Georgia's upcoming elections present an opportunity for Putin to maintain control over the country. If Georgia conducts free and fair elections and rebuilds ties with the EU, Seskuria believes this will be a victory for Russia.

A bipartisan group of senators, led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Jim Risch, introduced legislation to hold Georgian officials and individuals accountable for corruption, human rights violations, and attempts to advance foreign influence laws or facilitate their passage.

The Georgian government's recent efforts to align with Russia are rejected by Georgians and pose a significant threat, according to a bipartisan group of senators in a press release.

The upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia are expected to be closely contested and significant, with many observers viewing it as a crucial moment since the country's independence. For Putin, this election presents Russia's first chance to assert its influence in a Georgian election since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to Ani Chkhikvadze, a journalist with Voice of America in Tbilisi, the Georgian government has presented the upcoming election as a choice between war and peace. They have attempted to convey that supporting the opposition would mean supporting a war with Russia.

According to Ivana Stradner, an expert on Russian disinformation at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Putin is engaged in an ideological battle against the West.

According to Stradner, the individual is attempting to restructure the global order and can achieve this objective without deploying tanks and jets in the West. Instead, he is employing proxies, such as the Georgian Dream Party, to disrupt Georgia's EU trajectory and challenge the West.

Giga Bokeria, a former secretary of the national security council and opposition politician from Georgia's pro-European Federalist Party, stated that Russia's strategic goal is to maintain the current Georgian Dream government, which is led by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, in power.

"The Georgian government, under Ivanishvili, has adopted the Russian propaganda narrative that the U.S. is an "imperialist power" and has provoked the conflict in Ukraine."

Ivanishvili was accused by Bokeria of aiding the infiltration of Georgia's political, economic, and security systems by individuals favorable to Russia.

The Russian government intends to use its close ties with Georgian Dream politicians to shape politics and society in Georgia. Statements from the Russian security services closely mirror those of Georgian Dream politicians, who praise the Georgian government and accuse the West and Europe of trying to provoke conflict with Ukraine.

Despite the Georgian Dream Party's desire for close ties with Russia, everyday Georgians remain firmly committed to the EU.

Georgians aspire to join the EU, with polls indicating up to 83% support. However, the Georgian Dream Party has hindered Georgia's efforts to join the EU since it became a candidate member in 2023. As a result, the EU put Georgia's process on hold after a controversial "foreign agent" law was enacted, requiring citizens, NGOs, media outlets, and other civil society organizations that receive over 20% in funding from abroad to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Ministry.

If Georgian Dream maintains its grip on power, it could harm its chances of joining the EU, according to FDD's Stradner.

A nonprofit in Georgia, Civic IDEA, published a report detailing the Georgia Dream party's reliance on Russian money, including funds from sanctioned businesses and individuals with ties to the Kremlin. The report revealed that the majority of the party's major donors are backed by Russian funds and have interests closely aligned with the Kremlin.

Not only do individuals have socio-political ties with Russia, but some are also identified as "international sponsors of war," according to Civic IDEA.