On April 29, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) identified the occupation of Georgian territories and the annexation process as the country’s primary national security challenge in 2024, while warning of foreign-backed destabilization plots aimed at forcibly changing the government.

According to the SSG’s 2024 report, Russian occupation forces in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region continued to conduct military exercises of varying types and scales, alongside other destabilizing activities. The report highlighted a significant legal development—the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling in the Georgia v. Russia (Continuing Occupation Case), which held Russia accountable for human rights violations stemming from the illegal borderization process following the 2008 war. The court recognized that, despite lacking control over occupied territories, Georgian authorities made reasonable efforts to protect property rights in those regions.

The SSG emphasized its ongoing cooperation with international partners, including the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM), the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. However, the report alleged that certain groups within Georgia and abroad planned to incite civil unrest under pretexts such as opposition to the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” and alleged election fraud, with the ultimate goal of forcibly changing the government. These efforts were reportedly financed by foreign states, Georgian political figures, and NGO leaders.

The report claimed that some Georgian citizens, particularly those fighting in Ukraine, expressed readiness to engage in violent actions against law enforcement in Georgia. Plans allegedly included paralyzing transport hubs, blocking state institutions, setting up protest camps, and using “color revolution” tactics, such as threatening or bribing police and staging defections to simulate state collapse.

The SSG also reported that foreign intelligence services were active in Georgia throughout 2024, attempting to destabilize the political environment before and after the parliamentary elections. The agency claimed to have uncovered activities involving foreign agents collecting GPS coordinates and conducting drone surveillance, as well as connections between certain Georgian journalists and politicians with foreign intelligence officers, who provided funds and directives in exchange for sensitive information.

The Department of Counterintelligence opened eight criminal cases during the reporting period, though specific foreign intelligence services involved were not disclosed.