“I didn’t take it seriously that Ivanishvili was telling his supporters that someone who spent 10 years in prison was plotting some kind of coup,” former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia said in an interview with journalist Tengo Gogotishvili.

The interview, which has now been published, was recorded before Akhalaia’s arrest and is dated October 9, 2025. In the interview, Akhalaia says that he had been out of the country for three years, “didn’t have a penny,” and never thought that Bidzina Ivanishvili would tell his supporters that “this kind of person is planning a coup.”

“I didn’t take it seriously that Ivanishvili was telling his supporters that someone who spent 10 years in prison was plotting some kind of coup. He had been out of the country for three years, doesn’t have a penny, has no party, no television channel. I’m talking about myself. I never thought Ivanishvili would tell his supporters that this kind of person was planning a coup, so I didn’t take it seriously - though you never know… They have it so ingrained that if they mix in Akhalaia’s name, or the names of former government figures, they somehow consolidate their supporters. I think that’s all there is to it, and that’s what we’re dealing with,” Akhalaia said.

Akhalaia also spoke about his acquaintance with opposition politician Murtaz Zodelava. According to him, they live in the same building, are good neighbors, and friends. As for Paata Burchuladze, Akhalaia said that Burchuladze is his “senior friend.” When asked whether he had planned a coup together with these people, Akhalaia responded:

“There were no such meetings between us […] because whatever these people were doing, I was not involved in that matter for various reasons. I am not engaged in such processes. Therefore, what the authorities are saying about conspiratorial meetings is, of course, not true. The fact that I have friendly and personal relations with these people is nothing to hide, and it was never hidden from anyone. One day, Mr. Paata was visiting Murtaz, and for some reason they wanted to claim that he was at my place. If he had been with us, neither we nor Mr. Paata would have hidden it. They then said he was receiving consultations from Akhalaia, or something like that. From this perspective, it is absolute propaganda nonsense,” Akhalaia said.

Regarding a circulated audio recording, according to which Burchuladze and Akhalaia allegedly discuss the scenario of the October 4 rally, Akhalaia calls the recording fabricated and says that the voice is not his. He also claims that cameras were installed near his home.

“I live openly, in plain sight. No one can come to me, and I cannot go to anyone without the authorities knowing it within five minutes. Even if you had a strong desire for conspiratorial behavior, it would be completely impossible. They installed so-called ‘smart cameras’ near us, added large cameras - not to mention that the area was already packed with small ones. From the moment I returned, how could I go anywhere without being under control? Drones were flying as well. So I never had anything to hide. Yes, it creates discomfort for the children and the family, but that’s how we lived throughout these months,” Akhalaia said.

According to him, the solution in the current situation is simple.

“We are very inclined toward illusions - we think that Georgia is the center of the world, and that everyone, from New York to London, must take care of us. That’s roughly the state we’re in, when ‘patriotic Georgia’ believes that Ivanishvili is an invincible, powerful tyrant. Yes, he is a usurper, but he is very weak and, in reality, stands on nothing. The events of those days I’m being summoned over showed that, first and foremost, this man stands on the fear of patriotic Georgia, on its indecisiveness, and on the belief he managed to create over the years that he supposedly represents something. He represents nothing - he is nobody,” Akhalaia said.