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2 days ago
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Police in the South Caucasus nation of Georgia said Monday that they arrested a Russian national for allegedly damaging a police vehicle during anti-government protests last week.
The Russian, identified only by the initials D.K. and born in 1995, reportedly fled the scene wearing a mask after intentionally damaging the vehicle last Friday in Tbilisi. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison, police said in a statement.
He is at least the ninth Russian citizen to be arrested in Georgia in recent months, according to the independent outlet RusNews. Among them, two face life in prison on drug possession charges.
In December, the Kremlin said it had no information on Russian protesters arrested in Georgia but claimed they had “obviously” violated Georgian law by attacking law enforcement officers.
According to the news website Civil Georgia, 49 protesters remain imprisoned on criminal charges since near-daily demonstrations against the ruling Georgian Dream party broke out in the fall.
Critics accuse the party — now in its fourth term after winning contested parliamentary elections in October — of democratic backsliding and aligning the country more closely with Russia.
In November, Georgian Dream postponed EU membership talks until 2028.
Georgia has been a major destination for Russians fleeing political repression and the impacts of war in their home country since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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