In 2008, Saakashvili’s decision to attack South Ossetia – a Russian-backed breakaway region – provoked a Russian invasion that led to Abkhazia and South Ossetia coming under Moscow’s control. His prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili – a reclusive Georgian oligarch who amassed his fortune in Russia – engineered a political takeover. Initially, the Georgian Dream upheld a pro-European stance, advancing Georgia's …
