The key facts

  • Russia's Prosecutor General's Office designated the party Droa as undesirable
  • The office accuses the party of Russophobia and demands to abolish the visa-free regime and direct flights
  • Party leader Elene Khoshtaria was detained in Tbilisi in September for defacing a campaign banner

Party declared undesirable

Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated the activities of the Georgian party Droa as undesirable. The outlet reported this on November 5 Gazeta.Ru citing the office's press service. The Prosecutor General's Office stated that members of the faction 'hold pronounced Russophobic positions and aim to discredit our country's actions in the Georgian direction.' According to the office, party members oppose the normalization of Russian-Georgian relations and 'demand the reinstatement of a visa regime and the termination of direct flights between the countries.'

What is known about the party

The Prosecutor General's Office clarified that Droa was founded in Georgia in 2021 and is part of the opposition alliance 'Coalition for Change.' According to the office's description, the faction is focused on 'exposing the ties of the local ruling elite with Russia,' dismantling Georgia's one-party system, and promoting the idea of the country's accelerated integration into the European Union.

Context surrounding the party leader

On September 15, police in Tbilisi detected the leader of Droa, Elene Khoshtaria, for defacing a campaign banner of Kakha Kaladze, the 'Georgian Dream' party's candidate for mayor of the capital and the current mayor of Tbilisi. Before that, as Gazeta.Ru notes, Khoshtaria had spoken of the need to 'overthrow the regime' and announced a hunger strike in protest against the authorities. The decision to designate the party as undesirable was made by the Russian side; the publication does not report any reaction from the Georgian authorities or the party itself.