In an interview with www.globalnews.ge, Kakha Gogolashvili, the director of the "Rondel Foundation" European Studies Center, discusses the reasons for the placement of an icon depicting Stalin in the main cathedral of Georgia. He notes that "the desire to reincarnate Stalinism is only in Russian interests today."

"If there is a reincarnation of Stalinism anywhere today, it is in Russia. Today's Putin's Russia is built on an attempt to once again create an image of a country that can strike fear into the international community. That is why Stalin is being cultivated. The cultivation of Stalin is an attempt to re-emerge from common ideological roots and spread it to neighboring states where Russia considers its legitimate sphere of influence. An attempt is being made to create a common foundation again and for countries to easily see what they have in common with Russia. All the groups that are trying to make Stalin appear in the society and establish him, in one way or another, are sympathetic towards Russia," says Kakha Gogolashvili, director of the Center for European Studies.

According to him, the fact that the Georgian church "has taken a step back is an indication that Russian influence has not firmly entered the Church."

"The Church quickly retreated because it foresaw that if these discussions continued, the public would delve deeper into this topic, uncovering the vicious foundations on which this action is based. This revelation would expose the underlying reasons for all that has occurred. The fact that the church took a step back indicates that Russian influence has not firmly permeated the church as a whole, but is attempting to establish a foothold there. It appears that there are alternative voices and perspectives within the Church, but they seem reluctant to bring up these internal discussions, although it is possible that a similar discussion took place within the Church. It is possible that this was a hybrid operation designed to test the congregation's attitude towards Stalin, or it may have been the initial step in propagating similar influences. While the focus is on Stalin, in the end, they bring out the icon, remove Stalin, and then reinstate it. Does this signify the introduction of a Russian saint's icon into our cathedral?! This fact itself is questionable. Perhaps the hybrid operation is not so much about Stalin as it is about introducing as many Russian saints as possible into our church. Russia is seeking ways to draw closer to us. However, it is not feasible to achieve rapprochement through cultural elements, as Georgia did not embrace Russian culture during its 200-year history within the bosom of Russia. The European culture was imparted to Russia, and when Russia departed from Georgia, European architecture, clothing, literature, music, and customs remained with us. Culturally, we swiftly grew apart, leaving only Orthodoxy as evidence of our shared religion. This is what they are trying to do to connect with us. Therefore, bringing in Russian saints and introducing their work to our congregation is akin to an influence operation," stated the director of the European Studies Center in an interview with Globalnews.ge.