US Sec of State: creating false narratives of genocide to justify greater use of military force a “tactic” Russia used in Georgia
Blinken said that amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow could bring in officials from Russia to serve as local government officials in Ukraine's territories captured by the Russian forces. Photo: GettyImages
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Manufacturing events and creating false narratives of genocide to justify greater use of military force is a "tactic" Russia has used before, including in Georgia in 2008, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday at a press briefing.
Blinken said that amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow could bring in officials from Russia to serve as local government officials in Ukraine's territories captured by the Russian forces.
After devastating Ukrainian cities, Moscow may bring in officials from Russia to serve as local government officials, and surge what they describe as 'economic support' in an attempt to make the people dependent on Moscow for survival. Again, something that Russia did in Georgia,” he said.
According to the top US diplomat, Moscow may be setting the stage to use a chemical weapon in Ukraine before then blaming Kyiv for the incident to justify escalating its attacks on the Ukrainian people.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Thursday his country would continue to support Georgia in its Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended his gratitude to Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili for the support the Georgian government has provided to Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, as the two officials spoke on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday in an interview with CNN that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s objective of ‘re-exert[ing] a sphere of influence over countries that previously were part of the Soviet Union is unacceptable.'
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has reaffirmed his support for the Ukrainian people and called for a diplomatic solution of the conflict following Russia's recognition of the independence of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Georgian PM highlighted the role of diplomacy and negotiations in conflict resolution, saying "Georgians know the price of war very well."
Human rights violations in the Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) have been highlighted in the annual Report on Human Rights Practices of the United States Department of State, with the report released on Tuesday.
The annual Report on Human Rights Practices of the United States Department of State “reflects Georgia's progress” over the past year, Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights of the Georgian Parliament, said on Wednesday.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday dismissed local media reports on the imprisoned opposition politicians Mikheil Saakashvili, Nika Melia and Giorgi Rurua being mentioned as political prisoners in the new United States Department of State report on human rights situation in Georgia as a “total lie”.