Russian invasion hoax has Georgia opposition in uproar

Saakashvili did not say whether he knew about the broadcast in advance, but if he did, he didn’t clue-in his family, reports The Moscow Times. "My grandmother, though she had seen me shortly before the report, got worried and nervous and, of course, a lot of people got nervous," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Saakashvili on Sunday said the program was "unpleasant" but "very close to reality," adding that Georgia's key task was to prevent the fabricated scenario from happening in real life, reports Russia’s RIA Novosti. Russia’s envoy to NATO slammed the report as part of a wider “information war” against Moscow, the news wire said.

Russian politician Sergei Markov said the report was aimed at Georgia’s internal opposition, not Russia itself, according to the Moscow Times.

"Hatred toward Russia is Saakashvili’s political agenda, and it is important for him to discredit those who are crossing him by seeking contacts with Russia,” the paper quote him as saying.

The US ambassador to Georgia, John Bass, called the report “irresponsible,” reports Civil.Ge, run by the UN Association of Georgia.

He said one of the main issues that the report showed in respect of Georgia was that "there is real uneven application, inconsistent application of the rule of law."

"I think that is the most important area where Georgia still needs to make a progress," the ambassador said.

The Christian Science Monitor reported late last year that ties between the Georgia and Russia were warming out of pragmatism, citing the reopening of land and air links, but said that personal digs by their leaders were continuing to hurt relations. Saakashvili also warned then against the threat of invasion.

"Every Georgian citizen should be ready for defense, and every family home should become a stronghold of resistance from enemy attack," he said.

Al Jazeera offers this report with clips from the fake broadcast and the resulting protests, which the agency says reveal a strong fear of Russian invasion.

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