Kyiv slams Georgian electoral ads depicting bombed-out Ukraine

Ukraine’s foreign ministry on Thursday condemned a series of political adverts distributed by the ruling Georgian Dream party ahead of the October parliamentary elections that depict ravaged Ukrainian cities.

The billboards, which first appeared on the streets Thursday, contrasted black and white images of destroyed Ukrainian infrastructure against colorful images of normal life in Georgia, next to a slogan: “Say no to war — Choose peace.”

The snapshots from the destruction are complemented by crossed-out logos of the opposition parties, suggesting that Georgian Dream wants to convince voters that they would lead the country into the war.

Georgian people “need not to be afraid of a new war as long Ukraine resists Russian aggression,” the ministry said, calling on the relevant parties to refrain from using war in Ukraine for internal political purposes.

Ukraine said it “condemns and considers unacceptable the use of images in political advertising of the horrific consequences of Russia’s ruthless war against Ukraine, the suffering and blood of thousands of innocent people, the destruction of church shrines and the cultural heritage of mankind,” the ministry wrote on Facebook.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili also slammed the campaign.

“I have never seen anything so shameful, so offensive to our culture, traditions, history and faith,” said Zourabichvili.

The leader of the opposition For Georgia party Giorgi Gakharia called the campaign “disgusting.”

“In its attempts to win the elections by all means, ruling @GeorgianDream41 party launched the disgusting campaign of associating the horror of Russia’s war against Ukraine with the potential winning of opposition in Georgia,” he said.

The country will head to the ballot box on Oct. 26, and polls show Georgian Dream is likely to be the largest party. If it is, it has vowed to “punish” its opponents by banning virtually all other parliamentary parties.