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A pro-Russian organiser of the local ‘Immortal Regiment’ has been detained in Georgia on suspicion of espionage

A pro-Russian organiser of the local ‘Immortal Regiment’ has been detained in Georgia on suspicion of espionage

01 June 2026, 11:47

A pro-Russian organiser of the local ‘Immortal Regiment’ has been detained in Georgia on suspicion of espionage — Gulbaata Rtshiladze

The Georgian National Security Service has arrested Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, a pro-Russian organiser of the local equivalent of the ‘Immortal Regiment’ and head of the civil society organisation ‘Eurasia Institute’. He is suspected of spying for a foreign intelligence service.

This is reported by Georgia’s Channel One and The Moscow Times.

It is noted that Rtskhiladze organised the ‘Immortal Army’ in Georgia — a local version of the ‘Immortal Regiment’ — a propaganda march originating in Russia, in which participants carry portraits of relatives who died in the Second World War. Rtskhiladze posted the results of the “Immortal Army” on Facebook.

According to the Georgian investigation, for many years Rtskhiladze passed information to the foreign intelligence services of two countries, though it is not specified which ones. He met with representatives of these states in Georgia and abroad, and received funds in return for the information.

To cover his tracks, the suspect set up information platforms and organised events across the country, including, presumably, the “Immortal Regiment”.

As reported by the media, under Rtskhiladze’s leadership, the “Eurasia Institute” recently established a “Council for Monitoring Russophobia”. In September 2025, the Georgian organisation iFact revealed that Rtskhiladze had received funding from the Russian “Fund for the Support and Protection of Compatriots Living Abroad”.

Rtskhiladze faces up to 12 years in prison. In addition, Irakli Chikhladze — founder of the “Caucasus Centre for Human Rights” and the publication “Kavkaznews” — was detained alongside him on charges of espionage.

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