‘Handlers speaking the American version of the English language were guiding the Georgian journalists’ Sergey Gavrilov, the Russian lawmaker who sparked outrage and protests in Tbilisi, says he was framed by ‘radical liberals’ and ‘fake news’

It’s completely obvious that this is a prearranged provocation by Georgia’s radical liberal anti-patriotic forces. The attacks on the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy were used as a pretext to try to discredit Orthodoxy, seize the Parliament, and launch a coup d'état. We conducted the assembly meeting correctly. I sat where the hosts invited me to sit. I can work from side stool if need be — I’m a modest man, and I’m not seeking any honors here. We have witnessed extremist activity. Dozens of people took to the streets with earlier prepared banners against Russia, its president, and Orthodoxy. Many Georgian media outlets systematically disseminated fake news that I took part in the fighting in Abkhazia. This is a lie and a provocation. By the way, our deputies saw how handlers speaking the American version of the English language were guiding the Georgian journalists. It’s a shame that Georgia has no independent media. Without this, a mature civil society is impossible. I love Georgia. My grandfather is buried here, and I’m very sorry that I wasn’t able to visit his grave, because of this provocation.

Quotes from Gavrilov’s interviews with Kommersant, TASS, and RBC.