The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) acknowledged that it officially accredited well-known Russian propagandist Alexander Malkevich. He is under EU, US, and Canadian sanctions, was an associate of the late Prigozhin, recently received the "Order of Friendship" from the Russian-appointed head of South Ossetia, and built a network of propaganda TV channels in the occupied territories of Ukraine.   
  
CEC spokesperson Natia Ioseliani stated that the accreditation for the Russian government propagandist Alexander Malkevich was "issued in accordance with electoral law" and that "the CEC does not have access to the legal status of any individual, nor does this fall within its mandate." According to her, any representative of local or foreign media undergoes accreditation through a simple procedure that involves sending the necessary information via email. If the submitted documentation meets electoral law requirements, the election commission will issue the appropriate accreditation.

On November 1, the opposition TV company "Pirveli" aired a report stating that Malkevich was not only in Georgia on election day but also received CEC accreditation. Previously, the international organization "Reporters Without Borders" also reported that the Russian propagandist was in Georgia during the elections. This information is now officially confirmed.

Malkevich is known for overseeing the Russian propaganda machine's work in Donbas and was a close associate of the scandalous head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. After the Russian invasion in 2022, Malkevich has been on "work assignments" in the occupied territories of Ukraine, engaging in various propaganda activities, including the establishment of pro-Russian TV channels: Zaporizhzhia’s "Za! TV," Mariupol's "Mariupol-24," and Kherson’s "Tavria."

Malkevich is also under sanctions from most countries, including the US, EU countries, and Canada. At least once, he violated Georgia’s Law on Occupied Territories during a visit to the occupied Tskhinvali region at the end of August 2023. There, he met with the de facto leader of the occupied region, who awarded Malkevich the "Order of Friendship" for his "contribution to the development and strengthening of friendly relations between nations and in connection with the 15th anniversary of the Russian Federation’s recognition of the Republic of South Ossetia as a sovereign and independent state."

According to our data, Alexander Malkevich arrived in Georgia to build a Kremlin propaganda information network similar to the one he created in Donbas.

Source: https://civil.ge