U.S. advisors persuaded Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili not to deploy tanks on the streets of the former Soviet republic’s capital at the same time as a “mockumentary” on a Russian invasion was being aired, Russia’s Vzglyad paper said on Monday, citing Georgian media.
The program, aired by Georgia’s Imedi TV channel on March 13, depicted the “possible consequences” of the opposition’s dialogue with Moscow and showed Russian forces in Tbilisi.
However, many people missed the introduction to the show and for a few hours mass panic reigned across the South Caucasus state.
“American consultants persuaded him not to do this,” Georgia’s Palitra Nedyeli paper claimed, citing an unidentified source. The source said Saakashvili wanted to make the report even more believable.
“I am not surprised by this,” Democratic Movement - United Georgia opposition party leader Nino Burdzhanadze said, referring to Saakashvili’s “state of mind.”
“Saakashvili will again start a war – this will destroy the country,” she added.
Citing a highly-placed source, the head of the country’s union of journalists, Irma Inashvili claimed that Saakashvili and his U.S. advisors planned the show together.
Saakashvili has denied any involvement in the program.
