Underworld figure David Peikrishvili was severely beaten in Gldani Prison, while his twin brother Giorgi slit his wrists. This account was provided by David’s defense attorney, though it is denied by the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia. The incident has drawn particular scrutiny because the alleged attackers are cellmates, including Vato Kipiani and Avtandil Bilanishvili, known as “Katsro.” All of them have previously featured in reports on the criminal underworld, and their names have also been linked to the informal interests of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
What the Lawyer Says
Paata Gogiashvili, the defense attorney representing David Peikrishvili, who is being held in Gldani Prison, claims that his client sustained severe bodily injuries at the hands of fellow inmates, including Vato Kipiani and Avtandil Bilanishvili, known by the alias “Katsro.” According to the lawyer, Peikrishvili suffered four broken ribs, fractures to his skull and facial bones, and multiple hematomas across his body.
The Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia has categorically denied reports of an assault. Following a statement by the inmate’s mother, the agency stated that Peikrishvili’s visitation rights had been restricted by a prosecutor’s order. However, a phone call with his family was granted as an exception.
On October 20, Gogiashvili told the Formula TV channel that his client’s health was in critical condition. According to the lawyer, David Peikrishvili was attacked by Vato Kipiani, Avtandil Bilanishvili, Shota Kipiani, Kacharava, and Gotsiridze. The attorney stated that these inmates had been placed in Peikrishvili’s cell just a few days earlier.
“Since October 16, he has been subjected to physical and psychological pressure,” Gogiashvili stated.
The attorney maintains that his client is in critical condition and has also inflicted injuries upon himself. According to Gogiashvili, the inmates placed in Peikrishvili’s cell have mobile phones and are in direct contact with the leadership of the penitentiary system. During calls, they allegedly refer to the official as “Zauta.”
The lawyer suspects that the purpose of exerting pressure on the Peikrishvili brothers is to extract specific information from them. According to him, they are demanding the passcodes to their mobile phones. At the same time, Gogiashvili emphasized that the underlying reason for the conflict between the inmates remains unknown to him.
He placed responsibility for the safety of both brothers on the Special Penitentiary Service of Georgia, the department’s leadership, the prison administration, and the personnel responsible for security and confinement regulations. The attorney urged the Prosecutor General’s Office to respond immediately to the situation and demanded the separation of the inmates, between whom, he said, a long-standing feud exists.
According to Paata Gogiashvili, David’s brother, Giorgi (Goga) Peikrishvili, also injured himself. As the lawyer stated, on the night of October 20, he slit his wrists in an effort to protect his brother and stop the abuse against him.
Gogiashvili also reported that David Peikrishvili received medical assistance only after a public statement by his mother, Nino Abramishvili, who on October 19 spoke about the alleged beating of her son and demanded that she be allowed to see him.
Zurab Chkhaidze, the clinical director of the Vivamedi clinic, confirmed to Netgazeti that David Peikrishvili was admitted there on the evening of October 19. According to him, the inmate arrived at 9:00 PM and was subsequently transferred to Medical Facility No. 18. He was discharged from Vivamedi at 1:50 AM on October 20.
Chkhaidze declined to comment on the nature of the injuries, advising reporters to address relevant inquiries to the medical department of the penitentiary system.
What the Ombudsman Says
On October 20, the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia reported that David Peikrishvili had declined to meet with an ombudsman’s representative who visited Penitentiary Facility No. 8 following an alert regarding potential ill-treatment of the inmate.
According to the report, the Ombudsman’s hotline received information on October 19 regarding possible violence against Peikrishvili, along with a request to visit him.
“The applicant was informed that the information would be forwarded to the authorized department, and a visit to the inmate would take place as soon as possible.”
On the same day, a representative of the Public Defender arrived at Gldani Prison; however, Peikrishvili refused the meeting. According to the Ombudsman’s office, the refusal was documented in an official protocol signed by the defendant himself.
At the same time, the Ombudsman’s office categorically rejected allegations that the institution had responded in an untimely manner to the alert regarding possible violence.
Earlier, the Peikrishvili brothers’ mother, Nino Abramishvili, stated that she had demanded an ombudsman’s representative visit her son immediately after learning of the alleged beating.
“We called the Public Defender, and they told us: we will come tomorrow or the day after. Why do I need the Public Defender tomorrow or the day after, when my son was beaten today?” she told the IPN news agency.
The lawyer, in turn, stated that David Peikrishvili could not speak freely to the Ombudsman’s representative because other inmates were present in the cell. According to him, during the visit, the prisoner was shown in a dark cell with the lights turned off, making it difficult, in Gogiashvili’s view, to assess Peikrishvili’s physical condition.
What the Family Says
The Peikrishvili brothers’ mother, Nino Abramishvili, claims that Vato Kipiani and the other inmates were placed in her son’s cell intentionally. In an interview with Formula TV, Abramishvili stated that she had never before encountered a situation where individuals she refers to as “thieves-in-law” were moved straight into a prison cell with other inmates, bypassing a temporary detention facility.
“I want to ask only one thing: what kind of country are we living in?! […] How is it possible for a ‘thief-in-law,’ Vato Kipiani, to enter a prison with his ‘gang’ and stage a violent showdown right inside a prison cell?!”
According to Abramishvili, if her sons committed crimes, they should be held accountable under the law and await a court ruling. At the same time, she called the incident a “setup” and questioned how three underworld figures could be sent to prison over an ordinary slap.
“Where is the prison warden looking?! Where is the Prosecutor General’s Office looking?! What is happening, are we no longer a state?! Who am I supposed to turn to?!” the brothers’ mother stated.
She also warned that she would not remain silent if her sons’ lives were in danger, demanding an explanation as to why they were placed in the same cell as Kipiani and the others.
What Connects the Peikrishvili Brothers to Vato Kipiani and “Katsro”
There is a long history of conflict between Vato Kipiani and brothers David and Giorgi Peikrishvili. In 2021, Kipiani was detained in Georgia following his deportation from Ukraine. At the time, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office charged him with organizing an attempted murder of the Peikrishvili brothers, which, according to investigators, had been plotted in Ukraine and thwarted by the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG). Kipiani managed to avoid conviction in that case.
Vato Kipiani, also known as Vakhtang Zhvania, has been mentioned for years in Georgian media in connection with organized crime.
Avtandil Bilanishvili, known as “Katsro,” also figures in media coverage of the criminal underworld. Critical Georgian outlets have reported on his friendship with Bera Ivanishvili, the son of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
On October 15, 2026, Vato Kipiani, Shota Kipiani, and Avtandil Bilanishvili were detained on suspicion of group violence. According to the prosecution, the incident took place on October 14 at a restaurant in Tbilisi. The three detainees were charged under Article 126 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which carries penalties of a fine, community service, or imprisonment for up to two years.
The 40-year-old twin brothers David and Giorgi Peikrishvili were arrested in Tbilisi on September 22, 2026, on separate criminal charges.
The Prosecutor’s Office charged Giorgi Peikrishvili with large-scale extortion. According to investigators, on September 17, he demanded $47,000 from a man, threatening him with violence if he failed to pay. The prosecution claims the money was demanded as a share of profits generated from cryptocurrency trading. The charges were brought under Article 181 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment.
David Peikrishvili was charged with aggravated group hooliganism. According to the investigation, the incident occurred on Chavchavadze Avenue in Tbilisi: after stopping at a traffic light, he demanded that another driver clear the roadway, after which he, along with Aleksandre Chapodze, insulted the man and assaulted him. Investigators claim the victim suffered physical pain and minor bodily injuries. The charge was filed under Article 239 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which carries a prison term of two to five years for group hooliganism involving violence.
On October 2, new criminal proceedings against the brothers were announced—this time involving money laundering on an especially large scale.
According to prosecutors, between 2020 and 2026, David and Giorgi Peikrishvili used affiliated individuals to conduct financial transactions aimed at concealing the illicit origin of assets. The agency asserts that illicit funds were deposited in installments into bank accounts of third parties and subsequently transferred to the brothers’ accounts through numerous transactions.
According to investigators, funds in various currencies totaling the equivalent of approximately 10 million GEL were accumulated in the Peikrishvilis’ bank accounts. The prosecution claims the money was used to cover banking liabilities and acquire movable and immovable property registered under the names of the brothers and affiliated persons.
The charges were brought under Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Georgia—legalization of illicit income (money laundering) by an organized group, involving an especially large amount. The penalty provides for up to 12 years’ imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Georgian media have previously linked Bilanishvili, Kipiani, and the Peikrishvili brothers to the use of criminal leverage to advance the ruling party’s objectives—ranging from voter mobilization to physical pressure on political opponents.
Avtandil Bilanishvili (“Katsro”) was described as a key link between the criminal underworld and the Ivanishvili family. Prior to his arrest, he was widely believed to enjoy “informal immunity.”
According to opposition media, Bilanishvili and his associates were enlisted during election campaigns to oversee polling stations and exert pressure on opposition supporters. Transparency International Georgia and ISFED noted their role in directing so-called “precinct coordinators” in their reports.
“Katsro’s” name also surfaced in the high-profile 2020 death of 19-year-old footballer Giorgi Shakarashvili. Media outlets alleged at the time that he might have been present at the scene of the clash or covered up for those involved, although no formal charges were ever brought against him. Furthermore, journalists claimed that efforts were made to scrub Bilanishvili’s name from case materials through the influence of Bera Ivanishvili.
Vato Kipiani is described as a more significant figure in international organized crime—a “thief-in-law” with influence extending beyond Georgia into Ukraine and Europe. Furthermore, investigative journalists have reported that Kipiani enjoyed lenient treatment from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service of Georgia.
Opposition sources indicated that his return to Georgia and his evasion of severe prison terms (including the case concerning the attempted assassination of the Peikrishvili brothers in 2020–2021) were made possible through informal non-aggression and immunity arrangements.
As for the Peikrishvili twins, they are well known in Tbilisi for their involvement in criminal feuds and turf wars throughout the 2010s and 2020s. At the same time, according to critical media outlets, they were also utilized over the years to mobilize so-called “street muscle” on behalf of Georgian Dream during parliamentary and municipal elections.