Nauru has cut diplomatic ties with Georgia’s Russia-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia regions, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on July 29, welcoming the move. It remains unclear whether the small Pacific island nation has also withdrawn its recognition of the regions. According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, Nauru’s Cabinet, the country’s executive body, decided on …

Georgia participated in Sea Breeze 2026, a major U.S.-led multinational maritime exercise that brought together NATO Allies and partner nations, the U.S. Embassy reported on July 28, saying the exercise aimed to “strengthen interoperability, enhance maritime security, and improve readiness.” The U.S. Embassy referred specifically to the second iteration of this year’s exercise, which took …

The U.S. Embassy in Georgia said it is “troubled” by the government’s Division for Combatting Hate Speech, stressing that the United States considers free speech “foundational to a functioning society” and strongly opposes “censorship and restrictive laws” used to silence disfavored voices. The comment was provided in writing on July 28 by an Embassy spokesperson …

Inter RAO, one of Russia’s largest state-controlled energy companies and the indirect owner of several major power assets in Georgia, was included in the European Union’s latest sanctions list against Moscow. The EU said Inter RAO was sanctioned because it provides financial support to the Russian government through its revenues, taxes and dividends. It cited …

Georgian authorities launched criminal proceedings against four foreign nationals and five legal entities accused of a transnational criminal scheme involving the alleged transfer of a “particularly large amount” of illicit funds into Georgia for laundering. Speaking at a July 27 briefing, Beka Kvitsiani, Deputy Head of the Investigation Department of Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, said …

You may not notice them at first, but once you’re aware of their presence, you’ll start spotting claw machines on every corner in Tbilisi. They’ve been everywhere on the city’s outskirts, where it’s apparently easier to obtain a permit. And they’ve been especially everywhere at night, lighting up dark, lonely streets in neon colors like …

Niko Khurtsilava, who has been charged with assaulting stand-up comedian and anti-government protester Onise Okriashvili, has been released on GEL 5,000 (approximately USD 1,900) bail. Tbilisi City Court Judge Tamar Epitashvili issued the ruling on July 25, granting the prosecution’s request for bail. Okriashvili was physically assaulted near his apartment in Tbilisi late on July …

Russia’s Zolotaya Korona money transfer system has stopped allowing transfers to Georgia following the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Moscow, Russian media have reported. Georgia no longer appears on the list of countries available for transfers through the service, while transfers to several other unspecified countries have also reportedly been suspended. The EU announced …

George Zurabashvili, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, held a meeting with the heads of accredited diplomatic missions on July 23 to brief them on the “recent amendments” to the country’s Law on Grants and the “procedures for their implementation,” the Foreign Ministry said. Zurabashvili “briefed” the diplomats on the “details of …

The European Union said it is imposing a transaction ban on Georgia’s Kulevi oil refinery to take effect in six months as part of its 21st Russia sanctions package adopted on July 23, which also sanctions crypto-related service platforms based in Georgia. The move marks the first such major inclusion of Georgian entities in measures imposed …

Court proceedings in the so-called “sabotage” case, in which eight opposition leaders accused of “crimes against the state” face multiple years in prison, have been adjourned until the fall, delaying a trial that was expected to reach verdicts as early as August. Omar Purtseladze, one of the defense lawyers, told media on July 22 that …

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze is visiting Singapore, where he has held meetings with the country’s political leadership and representatives of financial technology companies. Kobakhidze is accompanied by a Georgian Dream delegation that includes Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, and Head of the Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani. They arrived in Singapore …

Transparency International — Georgia, a leading civil society organization, has published a list of 91 convicted people currently in detention whom it considers “political prisoners,” based on criteria set out in a resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The list, published on July 21, includes mainly people convicted in connection …

Worries are mounting that more Georgian opposition leaders may be sent – or rather returned – to prison for years amid intensifying court hearings in the so-called “sabotage” case, launched in November as prosecutors accuse eight political figures of “crimes committed against the state.” Three of those charged in the case – ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, …

The account of Nata Vibliani, a woman in her forties who said that she was repeatedly raped as a child in her community in Georgia’s northwestern Svaneti region, has prompted widespread calls for accountability more than 30 years after the alleged abuse began. The Interior Ministry told Civil.ge it is investigating the case. Vibliani, originally …

Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on July 16 addressed a ministerial in Washington, D.C., hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the “Resurgence of Political Terrorism,” an event focused on what the U.S. State Department described as “far-left political terrorism” that brought together representatives from nearly 60 countries. Botchorishvili’s Address In her …

Matthew Roy Desmond, a British citizen and war veteran who had been detained in Georgia for nearly three months over painkillers classified under Georgian law as illegal drugs and psychotropic substances, reached a plea deal under which he paid a GEL 100,000 (about $38,000) fine and will be expelled from the country and banned from …

Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of the Girchi-More Freedom party and the opposition Coalition for Change, has been hospitalized after a July 15 road accident, with the politician saying he was hit by a car while riding a motor scooter and suffered a concussion, bruises, and minor memory issues as a result. “A car hit me …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed Marat Kambolov’s candidacy in the occupied Tskhinvali region’s upcoming so-called “presidential election” during a meeting in Moscow. Kambolov, 61, who had held several positions in Russian federal government bodies over many years, was appointed de facto “prime minister” of the occupied Tskhinvali region on June 16 and later became …

Stephen Doughty, the UK’s Minister of State for Europe, North America and the UK Overseas Territories, said the UK continues to monitor political and economic developments in Georgia while stressing that investment decisions are made by businesses. He was responding to a parliamentary question on the “potential implications” of Georgia’s political situation, including reported targeting …

Tinatin Berdzenishvili, the director general of the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), was re-elected to the post for a second six-year term on July 29 following a selection process in which she was the sole candidate. The selection process took place in two stages, according to MediaChecker, an independent media watchdog. During the first stage on …

Georgian Dream Culture Minister Tinatin Rukhadze resigned, citing health reasons. In a resignation letter published on July 28 on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Culture, Rukhadze said she made the decision following consultations with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. “Due to my health condition, I will need to undergo an urgent course of …

Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili questioned the benefits of European Union membership if the bloc abolishes the unanimity principle in decision-making, a move he said major powers appear to be seeking and which would be “catastrophic” for smaller states, arguing that staying outside the EU could even be more “advantageous” for them. In a …

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said on July 27 that a Georgian citizen illegally detained by Russian occupation forces near the village of Perevi, Sachkhere municipality, along the Tskhinvali occupation line was released and is now in Tbilisi-controlled territory. While the SSSG did not disclose the individual’s identity, in line with its recent practice, the …

The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) said it purchased USD 612.6 million through the BMatch trading platform in June, bringing the country’s international reserves to USD 7.1 billion. According to the central bank, total net foreign exchange purchases in January–June 2026 exceeded USD 2 billion. The latest move follows net purchases of USD 86.6 million …

Georgia’s State Security Service (SSSG) has launched an investigation into “sabotage” following two separate incidents of nationwide power outages on July 24 and July 25, as authorities have yet to provide an official explanation for what caused the major blackouts that also affected occupied Abkhazia. The SSSG “has initiated an investigation under Article 318 of …

Giorgi Akhobadze, a doctor and anti-government activist, has been sentenced to 25 days of administrative detention after Tbilisi City Court Judge Manuchar Tsatsua reportedly found him guilty of several administrative offenses stemming from allegedly insulting public and police officials, including on social media. Several media outlets reported that the proceedings consolidated a series of administrative …

Below is the weekly digest of key developments and discourses in and around the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, as well as those concerning Tbilisi-Moscow relations. Sokhumi Bartsits Voices Discontent over EU Statement on Syria The de facto foreign minister of Abkhazia, Oleg Bartsits, criticized the European Union’s statement issued following the first …

The 133rd meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IRPM) took place on July 23 in the village of Ergneti, near the occupation line in Georgia’s Russia-occupied Tskhinvali region. The meeting was co-facilitated by Bettina Patricia Boughani, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Christoph Späti, Special Representative of the OSCE …

The dispatching of Marat Kambolov, a federal administrator with no prior connection to Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, as the new leader of the Russian-occupied region marks a new phase in the Kremlin’s management of Tskhinvali and suggests that Moscow may have broader strategic plans in the pipeline. Tornike Zurabashvili is an independent researcher from Tbilisi, Georgia. …

A minor died in hospital after a shooting in Tbilisi late on July 22 that left three other people injured, the Interior Ministry said following media reports, adding that the alleged shooter was arrested shortly after the incident, which took place on a street in the capital’s Vera district. Unconfirmed reports suggest the deceased was …

Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and anchor at opposition-leaning Formula TV, was sent to 14 days of administrative detention over a Facebook post concerning Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and MP Vladimer Bozhadze. While several people had previously been detained over social media statements that courts found “insulting” toward public officials, Sanaia is the first …

Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s central thoroughfare and the main site of protests in Georgia, will undergo full rehabilitation beginning on July 23, with traffic closed for the duration of the works, which are expected to be completed by the end of November, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced on July 21. According to Kaladze, vehicular traffic will …

Georgia’s external merchandise trade, excluding non-declared trade, reached USD 12.925 billion in January-June 2026, up 5.8% year-on-year, according to preliminary data released by the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) on July 20. Kyrgyzstan remained Georgia’s largest export market, while Turkey was the country’s top source of imports. Motor cars continued to dominate both exports and imports. Exports increased …

The Georgian government administration has published a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, apparently written in response to Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s congratulatory message on the 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence, with Trump reportedly saying he looks forward to “strengthening cooperation.” The administration released the letter in Georgian, and no original or English-language …

Two Georgian citizens were arrested by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s border police after they were found allegedly smuggling five foreign nationals near the Kamensko border crossing with Croatia in the west of the country on July 15, RFE/RL’s Balkan Service reported on July 16. According to the report, citing local police, four of the foreign nationals …

Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili will participate on July 16 in the ministerial on the “Resurgence of Political Terrorism” in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Foreign Ministry announced late on July 15. According to the U.S. State Department, the event will focus on “far-left political terrorism” …

Concerts of the Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. and Ukrainian-Russian singer Ani Lorak, scheduled to take place in Georgia’s Black Sea city of Batumi on August 1 and August 14, respectively, have been canceled, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported. TASS said the cancellations were confirmed by the administration of the Batumi Tennis Courts, where the …

Tbilisi City Court has fined Georgia’s critical television channel Formula TV GEL 10,000 (about USD 3,800) after finding it guilty of a “false denunciation” charge in connection with a report about Goga Khaindrava, a Georgian film director and former official known for his pro-government stances. Judge Liana Kazhashvili ruled on July 14 that the broadcaster …

Senior Georgian Dream officials have rebuked EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over comments that the EU does not want to support the Georgian government, but rather the Georgian people, made while answering a question about the bloc’s Black Sea strategic approach. Upon arrival at the July 13 Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, HR/VP …

Five were fined and four sent to administrative detention among the ten protesters and activists arrested in Tbilisi on July 26 for holding what the Interior Ministry described as “insulting banners” about Georgian Dream honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili. Tbilisi City Court Judges Zviad Tsekvava and Tornike Kapanadze split the cases, issuing rulings from the evening …

The “Rike Tubes,” a pair of modernist cylindrical glass-and-metal structures in downtown Tbilisi’s Rike Park built during the final years of the previous United National Movement (UNM) government, are being demolished after Tbilisi City Hall issued a relevant permit in late May to their owner, Rike Dom, which plans to build a hotel on the …

The State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) said on July 27 that it arrested a former employee of a law enforcement agency who allegedly used the names of SSSG chief Gela Geladze and Georgian Dream honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili’s son, Tsotne Ivanishvili, to obtain GEL 11,300 (approximately USD 4,500) from the family members of two …

Georgian MMA fighter and government supporter Giorgi Kartvelishvili announced the launch of a “people’s movement” to defend what he called Georgian “values and traditions” from what he described as attacks by “foreign-funded” groups with a “pseudo-liberal ideology,” saying the movement would be “constructive” yet its members would be ready to “go to prison if necessary.” …

Police in Tbilisi arrested 10 people who were holding “insulting banners” in a public space, the Interior Ministry said late on July 26, after media had earlier reported the detention of anti-government protesters and activists over banners about Georgian Dream founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili. According to media reports, protester Tornike Toshkhua was the …

Georgian officials inaugurated a technological hub in the former parliament building in the western Georgian city of Kutaisi, repurposing the contemporary oval-shaped glass-and-steel and concrete structure that had remained largely unused after the legislature moved back to Tbilisi in 2019. The launching ceremony late on July 24 featured a drone show and was attended by …

The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) said that three Georgia-based crypto-related service platforms included in the EU’s latest sanctions package against Russia are not under its regulation. In a statement issued on July 24, the NBG identified the sanctioned companies as Aifory LLC, Abcex LLC, and Rapira Group LLC, stressing that “none of their areas …

Georgia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed “regret” over the EU’s decision to conditionally include the Kulevi oil refinery in its 21st Russia sanctions package, saying there were “no factual or legal grounds” for the move and hoping the bloc will review the decision before it takes effect in six months. The Council of the EU adopted …

Power outages have been reported across Georgia, including in Tbilisi. Authorities have yet to make a statement, and the full scale of the disruption remains unclear. Social media users in several towns and cities, including Batumi, Zugdidi, and Kutaisi, are reporting power cuts, with electricity cut shortly after midnight between July 23 and 24. “Even …

Alexander Kartozia, Georgia’s ambassador to Germany, presented his credentials to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on July 23, nearly 10 months after being appointed to the post in October 2025. “During the official ceremony, the two sides highlighted the particular importance of the long-standing friendship and partnership between Georgia and Germany,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said. …

Onise Okriashvili, a stand-up comedian and active participant in the anti-government protests, was physically assaulted near his apartment in Tbilisi following days of extensive negative coverage by pro-government media over a joking remark in which he mentioned acclaimed 20th-century Georgian writer Nodar Dumbadze. Okriashvili was attacked by three unidentified men late on July 23 in …

Tskhinvali’s de facto “foreign ministry” said the European Union and its member states are exerting “pressure” on Syria’s new leadership over Damascus’ recognition of Georgia’s occupied territories, while Abkhazia’s de facto foreign minister said such efforts to reverse the recognition are “nothing new” following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The …

Giorgi Chighladze, a Georgian man arrested on July 19 after hitting a Russian-speaking tourist woman in her hotel room in Telavi, has been released from the courtroom on GEL 5,000 bail (approximately USD 1,900). Telavi District Court judge Tamar Kapanadze granted prosecutors’ request for bail during the July 21 hearing. Chighladze still faces prosecution under …

A Georgian man, Giorgi Chighladze, was arrested and faces up to three years in prison after hitting a foreign national, a Russian-speaking woman, in her hotel room during a wedding event in the Eastern Georgian region of Kakheti. While the woman’s friend, who posted the video of the physical attack on Instagram, claims that the …

Below is the weekly digest of key developments and discourses in and around the occupied regions of Abkhazia and  Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, as well as those concerning Tbilisi–Moscow relations. Sokhumi De Facto Education Ministry Criticizes Presentation of New Abkhaz Language Textbook at Party Office Abkhazia’s de facto “education ministry” has criticized the presentation of a new Abkhaz language textbook after it was unveiled …

Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedow is paying the first state-level visit to Georgia on July 16-17. The visit comes amid Tbilisi’s intensified engagement with Central Asian countries. Georgian Dream government members, led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, visted Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan over three consecutive weeks in June, while Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Tbilisi in early July. As part …

Money transfers to Georgia from abroad amounted to USD 348.26 million in June 2026, up 10.4% (USD 32.8 million) year-on-year, according to the latest data published by the National Bank of Georgia (NBG). The European Union and the United States remained the largest sources of transfers, together accounting for 61.2% of total inflows, or USD …

Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office said four more people have been charged over an alleged scheme to fabricate asylum claims and documents for Georgian citizens seeking asylum in the United States, following a joint operation with the U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Office (RSO). The announcement came six weeks after a similar operation in which three people …

28 people have been arrested and charged in connection with 14 criminal cases uncovered during large-scale anti-corruption operations across nine regions of Georgia, Emzar Gagnidze, head of the State Security Service’s (SSSG) Anti-Corruption Agency, said at a July 14 briefing. According to Gagnidze, the detainees face criminal charges in cases involving bribery, the production and …

TAV Georgia, the Georgian subsidiary of TAV Airports, a multinational airport operator, which is part of French aviation giant Groupe ADP, said it is investing USD 150 million in expanding and developing Tbilisi International Airport, as representatives of the company, along with Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, attended the …