Salome Zurabishvili: There are pro-Russian groups in the country that do not openly announce it, funding flows in to support these groups and certain forms of anti-Western propaganda

There are pro-Russian groups in the country that do not openly announce it, funding flows in to support these groups and certain forms of anti-Western propaganda, - the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, said in an interview with Sky News.

According to Salome Zurabishvili, there are very important elections in Georgia in October and more caution is needed for such attacks this year.

Speaking to The World with Yalda Hakim, Salome Zourabichvili said her country was concerned about the conflict due to Russia's influence.

The President said "everyone should be concerned" about the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

"We are directly there, we have 20% of our territory which is currently occupied by Russia and we are concerned because we are going to have elections by October and we know the experience of many other countries much stronger than we are, how Russia can interfere with elections," she said.

She explained Georgia was already suffering from cyberattacks and warned economic pressure and propaganda could be used.

Zourabichvili said her country was "looking first hand" at what was happening in Ukraine, but that she doesn't need to give Kyiv any advice on how to deal with Russia's invasion.

"We have had an almost parallel history," she said. "We have lived all of that together, so we are on the same path towards knowing our only perspective is to get closer and closer to the European Union.

"The war in Ukraine has accelerated this path."