Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that “Deep State” and its “agents” in Georgia seek to undermine Russian tourism in the country, including by artificially stoking “Russophobia,” in remarks made at the August 12 briefing during which he also warned against inciting “enmity between peoples.” He also reiterated his recent claims that the government critics and opposition, which he calls “Georgian agentura” [a term denoting a spy network], became “Russophobic” after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine while ignoring the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia. He further claimed that the “new plan” of the “Deep State” foresees preventing the arrival of Russian tourists in Georgia, to end up with Russian authorities “cutting all economic ties” with Georgia “as if due to the Russophobic attitudes in Georgia.” He then drew attention to “numerous mixed families” living in Georgia and Russia, “large Georgian diaspora” living in Russia, and “many people of Russian origin” living in Georgia. Russians are known to make up the largest tourist group in Georgia, with visitors from Russia accounting for 25.1% (328,900) of all visitors, or nearly one in every four visitors, in the second quarter of 2026.