Regional News Digest: Zelenskyi Eyes Caucasus for Drone Technology Deals
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced finalized agreements to provide drone interceptors and technology to three unspecified countries, and noted requests from 11 nations including references to the Caucasus ...
Abkhazia Prosecutor General's Office Accused of Leaking to Anonymous Media
Abkhazia's Prosecutor General's Office has been accused of leaking information to anonymous social media channels, including Telegram. Authorities have denied any connection to the channels in question....
Trump Organization Plans 70-Story Trump Tower in Tbilisi
The Trump Organization has announced plans to build Trump Tower Tbilisi, described as 'the first Trump branded project in the region.' OC Media reports the skyscraper will be 70 stories tall and developed as a joint vent...
Bidzina Ivanishvili's Son Calls for 'Debate' Amid Questions on Protester Abuses
Tsotne Ivanishvili, 20-year-old son of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, called for 'conversation, discussion, debate' when questioned about abuses against protesters and a perceived sense of impunity. He made ...
Protesters and Journalists Hit with Frozen Accounts Over Unnotified 'Road Blockage' Fines
Demonstrators and journalists, including Civil.ge's chief editor Nini Gabritchidze, have had their bank accounts frozen over police fines for alleged road blockages during Tbilisi rallies in 2024. Affected individuals sa...
Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026: Georgia Attends, Armenia Sends Deputy FM
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, alongside Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and Government Administration Head Levan Zhorzholiani, is participating in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held April 17–19 in...
Georgia's Opposition Alliance Unveils Plan to Lower Consumer Prices
Georgia's opposition alliance has presented a rapid economic response plan aimed at tackling rising prices and urging the government to cut taxes. The plan outlines concrete measures the alliance says would bring down th...
Russian MP Sparks Backlash After Rebuking Blogger Who Donated to Daghestan Flood Victims
United Russia MP Biysultan Khamzaev visited the flood-hit village of Mamedkala in Daghestan but triggered widespread public anger after publicly rebuking a blogger who had donated ₽2 million ($22,000) to flood victims....
Georgia's State Security Chief Mdinaradze Makes 'Working Visit' to Czech Republic
Georgia's State Security Service announced that its chief, Mamuka Mdinaradze, along with two deputies and the intelligence service head, conducted a working visit to the Czech Republic. Meetings were held with Czech secu...
Sokhumi, Tskhinvali, Moscow Weekly Digest: April 10–16, 2026
Civil.ge published its weekly roundup of key developments in and around Georgia's occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Tbilisi–Moscow relations for the week of April 10–16. Notable developments ...
Brother of Daghestan Health Minister Arrested Over COVID-19 Test Embezzlement
Former Daghestani MP Kirill Glazov, brother of Daghestan's Health Minister Yaroslav Glazov, has been detained on charges of large-scale fraud related to embezzlement of funds allocated for COVID-19 rapid tests. He will r...
Armenia's New Universal Health Insurance System Strains Healthcare Capacity
Armenia launched a universal health insurance system at the start of 2026, which has sharply increased pressure on the country's healthcare infrastructure. Patients who had previously foregone medical care are now seekin...
Russia's Zakharova Warns Georgia Could Be Labeled 'Unfriendly Country' If It Joins EU
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Georgia's accession to the European Union could result in the country being added to Russia's official list of 'unfriendly countries.' The warning comes a...
Armenia Says Release of Prisoners Held by Azerbaijan Key to 'Genuine Reconciliation'
Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan stated at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Istanbul that the release of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan and clarification of the fate of missing persons are pre...
Georgia Imposes Large Airspace Closure Near Ivanishvili Residence, Critics Cry Abuse of Power
A large no-fly zone has been established over a sizable area in southern Georgia near the Abastumani Observatory, officially cited as the stated reason for the closure. A source told RFE/RL the restrictions were introduc...
Weimar Triangle Foreign Ministry Delegation Visits Tbilisi
A diplomatic delegation from France, Germany, and Poland — the Weimar Triangle countries — visited Tbilisi on April 16. Senior foreign ministry officials from all three countries held meetings with Georgian Dream rul...
Russia Warns Georgia of 'Unfriendly' Status and Economic Measures if It Joins EU
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated at an April 16 press conference that if Georgia joins the European Union, Russia would be compelled to add it to its list of countries with 'unfriendly regimes...
Pro-Government Georgian Media Accuse Opposition of Planning 'Revolutionary Scenarios'
Pro-government media outlets and Georgian Dream party representatives have renewed claims that opposition groups in Georgia are preparing destabilizing 'revolutionary scenarios.' The allegations reflect an ongoing narrat...
Ossetian Uatsdin Faith: How a Pagan Religion Became a Global Success Story
A feature by OC Media explores the Uatsdin (Assianism) faith of North Ossetia, described as one of the most successful pagan religions in the world. The piece examines the faith's distinctive rituals, including the tradi...
Georgia Closing Airspace Over Abastumani ‘Ivanishvili Whim’, Sources Tell RFE/RL
The government will close airspace over Abastumani on April 16 to ensure clear skies for the local astrophysical observatory, but sources claim this is a whim of Bidzina Ivanishvili....