According to United National Movement member Levan Sanikidze, the sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom will have a contagious effect not only on powerful European states but also on the United States.

As he stated on Palitra News' program Day's Newsroom, following the UK sanctions, many more individuals will be sanctioned.

“We can confidently say that many more people are planned to be sanctioned. The circle of sanctioned individuals by the UK will only grow. Each of these sanctions is backed by documentation and a clear rationale. The West does not sanction people arbitrarily. For every person, there is credible, documented evidence outlining their wrongdoing and their role in building the vertical of Ivanishvili’s regime.

In my view, these sanctions significantly strengthen the protest movement in Georgia and protect our democratic society from the negative sentiment that occasionally arises. I believe this will have a spillover effect on both powerful European states and the U.S.

Sanctions were imposed on representatives of the regime’s vertical structure, including the Prosecutor General and the head of the Special Investigation Service — individuals who took no measures to investigate specific crimes.

To be honest, there are sanction packages with long-term effects, like visa restrictions, but there are also harsher and more immediate ones that economically destroy a person. These are the kinds of sanctions that cannot be revised. Typically, there are no exceptions, no reversals. The UK’s sanction package is ideally chosen,” Sanikidze said.

He also commented on the ruling party's statements related to the events of April 9. Sanikidze called Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement — that “April 9 is a day when a foreign force committed violence against Georgian citizens” — treacherous.

“This is a textbook example of a homeland traitor’s statement — without any reservation or political correctness. This is treason. We’re failing to properly assess what these people are capable of. Many think their only goal is to erase the Rose Revolution of 2003 and rewrite the legacy of Mikheil Saakashvili.

But these are the people who won’t even say that April 9 was organized by the Russian Empire. They cannot be considered a legitimate government of this country. These are the very people who, when we gathered on the night of April 8 and morning of April 9, called us ‘Rodionovs’ [Soviet military commander]. They are the actual ‘Rodionovs’ and traitors of this country, willing to commit any betrayal to maintain their power. Even the Communist Party didn’t go this far after April 9.

In that sense, they are merely ethnic Georgians — but internally, they are Russians.”

According to him, the leaders of Georgian Dream are essentially representatives of Russia, which is why they avoid mentioning it.

“From a government like this, nothing surprises us anymore. It’s up to us to deliver the final verdict,” Sanikidze concluded.