The Georgian government announced over the weekend that two Ukrainian citizens were arrested on Thursday after being caught transporting a powerful explosive—reportedly more potent than TNT—hidden in secret compartments of their vehicle.
According to Georgia’s State Security Service (SSG), the suspects entered Georgia through a checkpoint on the Turkish border after traveling via Romania and Bulgaria.
Authorities believe the explosives were intended either for sabotage operations in Russia or for disrupting Georgia’s upcoming local elections, scheduled for October 4.
Following interrogation by the SSG, one of the detainees confessed that the materials were supplied by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) with instructions to deliver them to a contact inside Georgia.
In a public statement, Lasha Magradze, Deputy Head of the SSG, said:
“One of the detainees claimed that the material was meant for use against Russia in a bid to repeat the so-called Operation Spiderweb,” referring to a June 2025 Ukrainian drone strike on Russian strategic aviation assets. He also noted evidence suggesting the explosives could have been aimed at disrupting Georgia’s elections.
The potential election threat was echoed by Tbilisi Mayor and senior Georgian Dream party figure Kaha Kaladze, who warned:
“The material could have been intended for opposition factions aiming to stir chaos.”
Both possibilities carry precedent. Explosives used in the October 8, 2022, bombing of the Crimean Bridge originated in Georgia, while during the October 2021 local elections, former President Mikheil Saakashvili entered the country illegally, urging supporters to rise against the government before being arrested.
Georgian officials in recent years have also accused Western powers of pressuring Tbilisi to open a “second front” against Russia—adding a geopolitical dimension to why Ukrainian operatives might seek to disrupt local elections or back opposition forces against the ruling Georgian Dream Party.