This is CBS Eye on the World.

Here's John Batchelor.

Tbilisi, Georgia, dire statements made by the successful candidate in the election most recently held.

Georgia Dream is the party. These dire

statements include opposition to the opposition that is illiberal. There's also the allegation

made by the president of Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky, that Russia wins the election in Georgia, Russia wins the election in Moldova.

These are two states in the Black Sea Basin, and their fate is at some point tied intimately to the

fate of Ukraine because Russia was the previous stakeholder in these states and could be again in the minds of

Ukrainians now suffering the onslaught. A man who can tell all these stories and I've learned

from over the years to be very careful about generalizing in the Black Sea Basin,

Zanatole Levin, who is at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, writing about Georgia now,

because this could be a pattern that we'll see again, less kinetic confrontation, such as Ukraine, and more vote-getting.

Anatole, a very good evening to you.

The allegation by Mr. Zelensky, do you see anything in it saying that Russia wins Georgia, Russia wins Moldova, or is he playing to NATO and talking about the future for his country? Good evening to you.

Hello, John. Well, there's certainly an element of truth in that. Obviously, the opposition in Moldova and the government

in Georgia, they're not subject to Russia, but they see their interests, their own interests,

but also certainly in Georgia, their country's interests in,

well, they would call it a multi-vector policy. They, you know, they're still officially committed

to move towards the European Union, but they want to retain good relations with Russia, partly out of fear and partly out of economic advantage,

because Georgia has profited enormously from basically not going along with Western sanctions

against Russia and acting as a tremendous conduit of transit trade to Russia

and to some extent also production, especially in agriculture.

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