The U.S. Treasury hit Georgia’s richest man and political powerbroker Bidzina Ivanishvili with sanctions, accusing the $7.5 billion oligarch of steering his country away from the West and toward Moscow’s orbit.
Secretary Blinken charged that Ivanishvili, through his control of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has systematically undermined democracy by:
- Derailing Georgia’s pro-Western trajectory
- Enabling violent crackdowns on protesters and media
- Eroding democratic institutions
- Suppressing opposition figures and activists
The sanctions block transactions involving Ivanishvili’s assets just as Georgia faces a pivotal moment between East and West. Recent protests in Tbilisi have turned violent as police clash with pro-democracy demonstrators accusing Georgian Dream of abandoning EU aspirations for closer ties with Russia.
The move follows earlier visa bans on 20 Georgian officials and comes amid international criticism of October’s parliamentary elections, which observers say were marred by vote-buying and intimidation.
Prime Minister Kobakhidze dismissed the sanctions as “blackmail,” while opposition leader Vashadze celebrated them as a step toward “Georgia without Ivanishvili” – highlighting the deep divisions in a country that was once America’s closest Caucasus ally.
Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia’s 1990s privatization wave, has denied the charges. But Western officials warn his party’s actions are pushing Georgia firmly into Moscow’s sphere of influence, reversing decades of democratic progress.