During a court hearing on the so-called sabotage case, Georgia’s third president, Mikheil Saakashvili, commented on the decision to demolish the so-called “Rike jugs” complex. According to him, the theater built in Rike was not Saakashvili’s personal whim, but an outstanding project by Italian architect and urbanist Massimiliano Fuksas, which belongs to the entire Georgian people.
“This is a brilliant creation by Massimiliano Fuksas, which was recognized as the world’s best architectural project of the year. It did not belong to Saakashvili, nor to individual contractors or artists.
It was your asset, which is now being taken away from you and destroyed,” Mikheil Saakashvili stated.
As a reminder, the Tbilisi City Hall confirmed that it had issued a permit for the demolition of the so-called “Rike jugs.” The municipality explained that, according to a 2025 decree of the Government of Georgia, the development of this area entails the implementation of a hotel complex project, which may include demolition work.
