Georgian government officials raided the homes of local staff of an American think tank who work on tracking Russian disinformation, raising alarm among prodemocracy activists, civil society groups and some U.S. officials ahead of Georgia’s Oct. 26 parliamentary elections.

Investigators targeted local staff in Tbilisi of the Atlantic Council, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., that is known for promoting democratic values and institutions, particularly in Eastern Europe.

The investigations unit of Georgia’s Finance Ministry searched the homes of Sopo Gelava and Eto Buziashvili, both staff members with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Lab, known also as DFRLab. The two have authored reports on how Russia is carrying out overt and covert influence operations to sway the upcoming elections in favor of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

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