Davit Khidasheli and Vladimir Yevtushenkov

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that Russian oligarch Vladimir Evtushenkov is a person close to the family of the President of the United States of America. He also mentioned that there is no "ground for speculation" regarding the work of his partner, Davit Khidasheli, as an adviser to the Minister of Defense of Georgia.

The Prime Minister stated that Khidasheli did not have access to any information, especially secret information.

"As for our decision, we are responsible for our decision. We recently discussed this topic, and there was an employment relationship that had been terminated since February.

It was mentioned that this person is close to Yevtushenkov, who, in turn, is close to the Biden family. I believe there is no basis for speculation in this matter. Yevtushenkov is directly linked to the Biden family. America did not impose sanctions on him due to his close connections to the American political elite, including the Biden family. Therefore, I consider speculations in this regard unnecessary.

I don't know if he was pro-Russian or what [David Khidasheli] was, but once again, this person is connected to Yevtushenkov, who is a man connected to the American political elite. The Minister of Defense did not see the need for him to continue working with the Ministry," Kobakhidze told journalists.

Davit Khidasheli, a partner of a Russian oligarch, worked as an advisor to the Minister of Defense of Georgia from 2020 to February 9, 2024. In April 2022, the Georgian government granted his company 104 712 hectares of forest in Racha and Kvemo Svaneti for 49 years. From 2007 to 2014, he served as the vice president of the Russian corporation System, owned by Yevtushenkov.

System is a large conglomerate supporting the annexation of Crimea. It includes the company Kronstadt, which has been producing military drones since 2021 and serves the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The owner of System is Vladimir Yevtushenkov, a billionaire businessman and a member of Putin's closest entourage. After the start of the war in Ukraine, the oligarch was sanctioned by Great Britain, Australia, Ukraine, and New Zealand. In November 2023, it became known that System was authorized by the United States of America. However, Vladimir Yevtushenkov himself is not among the Russian billionaires sanctioned by the US.

The New York Post published an article a month ago stating that Vladimir Yevtushenkov was once again not affected by the financial sanctions imposed by the US President Joe Biden's administration on more than 500 individuals and companies in response to the death of Russian dissident and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and the war in Ukraine.

Georgian News
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