Putin needs a victorious war. It could be Georgia or Armenia - Georgian expert Maisaya

This was stated by Georgian expert Vakhtang Maisaya on Espreso.

"Against the backdrop of a complete failure in Ukraine, Russia needs some kind of geopolitical compensation and a lightning war in the Caucasus. Among the options are Armenia or Georgia, possibly Azerbaijan," he said.

Maisaya emphasized that Russia's influence is growing in Georgia.

"There is a hybrid threat. Economic ties between the countries are growing. The trade turnover is about $25 billion. Russia has become the third largest trading partner. There is also the issue of the return of direct flights, which will strengthen Russia's economic expansion. We see the economic component of hybrid warfare. Its information component is also growing, and questions about the political component of this war are beginning to arise," the expert said.

He added that Russian special services are increasing their influence even on the opposition, not to mention the ruling party, which is conducting a geopolitical tango with the Kremlin.

"Pro-Russian people have also appeared in the opposition. It is possible that Russia could start hostilities against Georgia to seize the country or at least politically depend on the government through a "quiet" coup d'état and change the foreign policy vector. I would not rule out this scenario either. At one of the meetings of the Russian Security Council, Putin raised the question that he needed a lightning war and victory in the Caucasus. He didn't name a specific country, but I think Georgia would be an ideal choice," Maisaya summarized.