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“The Georgians fought really well. There was no shame in that defeat” — Col. Liam Collins on the lessons of the 2008 war

The Georgian army fought well, really well — especially considering that one of their brigades was deployed supporting NATO operations at the time. They didn’t even have their full force at home, and they still went head-to-head with the Russians, - says Colonel (retired) Liam Collins, PhD, who served in the U.S. Army for 27 years and is now executive director of the Madison Policy Forum. A senior fellow with New America and a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Collins conducted ﬁeld research in Georgia following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and in the Baltics to study their defense postures against Russia. In this in-depth conversation with RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, Collins discusses what Russia, Georgia, the West — and Vladimir Putin personally — took away from the ﬁve-day war. He

this week’s issue...

17 Years Pass Since the August War

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Ukraine Latest: Key Battleﬁeld Shifts as US Pushes for Ukraine Ceaseﬁre

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Georgia and Turkmenistan Deepen Ties within Push for Regional Cooperation

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Lelo for Georgia Pays Fine as Party Denounces Account Freeze as Politically Motivated

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Smart Solutions Help Farmers and Wildlife Coexist in BorjomiKharagauli National Park

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Between Stone and Void: Zurab Abkhazi’s Celestial Bodies

Discovery in Orozmani May Belong to Early Homo Erectus

A video still of Mzia Amaglobeli on her way to court on Wednesday. Source: PUBLIKA

Mzia Amaglobeli sentenced to two years in prison for slapping a policeman PAGE 3

INTERVIEW BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

Kakha Kaladze Unveils Campaign Motto: “Peace for Georgia, More Goodness for Tbilisi”

BY TEAM GT

At his ofﬁcial presentation as Georgian Dream’s mayoral candidate, incumbent Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze declared that the city and its districts are now more vibrant and full of life than they were eight years ago.

Kaladze also unveiled the slogan and central promise of his new campaign: “Peace to Georgia, more goodness to Tbilisi.”

“Eight years ago, when I ﬁrst stood before the people of Tbilisi as a mayoral candidate, our slogan was ‘A City Full of Life.’ As I walked through the city back then, I tried to visualize how that promise could take shape—what Tbilisi should look like once that vision was fulﬁlled,” Kaladze recalled.

“What struck me most were the empty yards, parks, squares, and public spaces. Sadly, in 2017, Tbilisi lacked the energy

I had witnessed in many European cities. That’s when I realized that a city comes to life through the joy of its people—through meaningful interaction between residents and their urban environment.

Today, I believe we all notice the change: people gathering in courtyards, public squares, parks, cultural venues, and sports spaces—whether in the center or the suburbs. Tbilisi and every one of its districts are now far livelier than they were eight years ago.”

Kaladze emphasized that this year’s campaign builds on that progress, with peace and wellbeing at the forefront.

“Our new promise—‘Peace to Georgia, more goodness to Tbilisi’—reﬂects our pride that, in a world fraught with challenges, our country and capital remain an island of peace. This stability provides a unique opportunity for growth and development. Without peace, there can be no talk of progress.”

Kaladze credited the ruling party for preserving that peace.

“The fact that Georgia enjoys peace today is a direct result of the policies of Georgian Dream–Democratic Georgia. I want to express my deep gratitude to our respected party chairman, Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili,” he added.

The ruling Georgian Dream party has ofﬁcially nominated Kakha Kaladze as its candidate for Tbilisi mayor in the upcoming local elections. The announcement was made during a high-proﬁle event held at Mtatsminda Park, where Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze introduced Kaladze to the public.

17 Years Pass Since the August War

BY TEAM GT

Seventeen years have passed since the start of the brief but devastating August 2008 war between Georgia and Russia on August 7. The ﬁve-day conﬂict, sparked by escalating tensions in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, left deep scars on the country — both physically and politically.

According to ofﬁcial data, 170 servicemen from the Ministry of Defense, 14 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and 224 civilians were killed during the war. The Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs reported that a total of 2,232 people — both civilians

and military personnel — were wounded or injured.

The Ministry of Defense notes that among the 1,045 wounded servicemen, the heaviest losses were suffered by the IV Mechanized Brigade with 271 wounded, and the II Infantry Brigade, which saw 251 of its troops injured in action.

20% OF GEORGIA UNDER OCCUPATION

Today, approximately 20% of Georgia’s internationally recognized territory remains occupied by the Russian Federation, which continues to station troops and build infrastructure in the regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (commonly referred to by Russia as ‘South Ossetia’).

Russia has fortiﬁed the so-called “admin-

istrative boundary lines” with barbed wire fences, observation towers, and trenches, cutting through Georgian villages and farmland. Residents of areas near the occupation line live in constant fear, subject to illegal detentions, kidnappings, and arbitrary arrests.

In deﬁance of international law, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia just days after the war. This move was widely condemned.

To this day, the vast majority of the international community, including the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations, do not recognize the independence of these regions. Georgia’s partners continue to call for the full withdrawal of Russian forces and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes.

HUMAN TOLL AND LEGACY

The war created a new wave of internal displacement, adding to the hundreds of thousands already displaced during the conﬂicts in the 1990s. Many displaced families remain unable to return to their homes in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Despite the trauma and ongoing occupation, Georgia continues to move toward integration with Western institutions. The country signed an Association Agreement with the European Union in 2014 and has consistently received support from NATO allies.

As Georgia marks the 17th anniversary of the war, remembrance ceremonies and discussions across the country emphasize both the cost of conﬂict and the enduring struggle for peace, justice, and national unity.

Ukraine Latest: Key Battleﬁeld Shifts as US Pushes for Ukraine Ceaseﬁre

COMPILED BY ANA DUMBADZE

As brutal battles grind on across Ukraine, diplomatic pressure is intensifying from Washington, with US President Donald Trump warning of looming sanctions against Moscow unless ceaseﬁre talks yield tangible results by the end of the week.

Throughout these high-stakes negotiations, both sides have ramped up military efforts on the ground, resulting in deadly territorial shifts, devastating aerial attacks, and a surprise Ukrainian counteroffensive behind enemy lines.

Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for a threehour discussion this week, described by Trump as a “great progress” moment. The US administration, however, stopped short of conﬁrming any breakthrough.

A potential face-to-face summit between Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains a possibility “within days,” but no location or date has been conﬁrmed.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that while the Witkoff-Putin meeting provided insight into Russia’s ceaseﬁre demands—largely related to territorial concessions—“there’s still a lot of work ahead” before such a summit can happen.

In a joint phone call with Trump and European leaders, Zelensky remarked that “Russia seems more inclined now” to engage in ceaseﬁre talks. Still, he warned against naivety: “It’s important

not to let Russia deceive either Ukraine or the US when it comes to details.”

The White House conﬁrmed secondary sanctions will still be imposed Friday if a deal isn’t reached. These include punitive tariffs on countries buying Russian oil—such as India and China. An executive order signed Wednesday already slaps an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods.

As talks continue, Russian forces have advanced across several strategic locations, including the key stronghold of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. The town, perched atop a canal and vital high ground, offers Moscow a commanding view into Ukraine’s heavily fortiﬁed eastern defenses.

Russian troops began besieging Chasiv Yar in March, shortly after taking Avdiivka. With its fall, Russia now controls

a 27-km salient west of Bakhmut. “It’s a vantage point to adjust ﬁre and tighten the noose on cities like Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka,” said military expert Vitaly Kiselyov on Soloviev Live.

Further north, in Kharkiv’s Kupiansk, Russian troops claimed to have breached city limits. Ukraine has not conﬁrmed this, though it admits facing heavy shelling in the area.

Russian advances also crept into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where Moscow captured the village of Sichneve (called Yanvarskoye by Russians)—the third such claim in the region, following previous conquests of Dachnoye and Malynivka. In a dramatic turn, Ukrainian special forces launched a deadly incursion deep into Russian-held territory in the Sumy region. Using helicopters, drones equipped with thermite, and coordinated

artillery barrages, elite Ukrainian units (including Timur, Chymera, Yunger, and Siberian battalions) reportedly killed over 330 Russian troops and injured more than 550.

Kyiv’s military command called the raid a “necessary disruption” that halted a major Russian push in northern Ukraine. This comes after continued Russian presence in Sumy Oblast, where, since February, Moscow’s forces have occupied villages such as Novenke and Basivka. Although no fresh breakthroughs were reported this week, clashes and evacuations (56,000 civilians displaced so far) persist.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s incursions across the border into Tyotkino in Russia’s Kursk Oblast are ongoing. Ukrainian forces maintain pressure in the area, despite both countries blaming each other for ceaseﬁre violations.

Russia continues its deadly aerial campaign. On July 31, 31 people were killed in Kyiv by a wave of jet-powered drones, marking one of the deadliest single attacks on the capital in months.

In Nikopol, southeastern Ukraine, three civilians were killed and four wounded when a Russian artillery strike hit a car belonging to state emergency services. Among the dead was an emergency worker.

Russian forces also struck a gas pumping station in Odesa, a crucial node in Ukraine’s LNG supply line supported by US and Azerbaijani imports. The strike has aggravated Ukraine’s energy crisis—its gas reserves are now at their lowest level in 12 years, with storage less than one-third full, according to the ExPro analytics ﬁrm.

In retaliation, Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian energy hubs and transport networks. While the Kremlin has conﬁrmed disruptions, it has downplayed the extent of the damage.

Kyiv also released footage of deepstrike drone attacks on Russian rail depots believed to be carrying military supplies toward the Donbas front.

Ukraine received a fresh boost in military support this week, as the US approved over $200 million in new arms deals funded by international partners. The packages will support howitzer maintenance and logistics chains. Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal expressed gratitude to Washington on X. In a gesture toward reform, Ukraine has appointed Oleksandr Tsyvinsky—a well-known anti-graft investigator—as the new head of the Economic Security Bureau. After delays due to concerns over his family’s Russian connections, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed the appointment and noted that Tsyvinsky passed a polygraph test. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos called the move “a crucial reform strongly encouraged by the EU.” Zelensky also visited troops in Sumy region this week, reaffirming Ukraine’s defensive resolve on the northern front. As the Trump-imposed ceasefire deadline looms, hopes for peace remain fragile. The battlefield momentum seems to favor Russia in the east, but Ukraine’s bold counterattacks and Western support suggest this war is far from frozen. Even if Trump and Putin do meet next week, any real path toward ceasefire will require navigating the complex terrain of land, trust, and truth.

A resident stands next to burned cars hit by a Russian drone attack, in the town of Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine. Photo by Oleg Petrasiuk- Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters

Russian troops of the 135th and 693rd motorized riﬂe regiments were allegedly stationed north of the Roki tunnel on August 5. Source: AISI

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. Source: gov.ge

Mzia Amaglobeli Sentenced to Two Years, Triggering Widespread Domestic and International Outcry

BY TEAM GT

Atwo-year prison sentence handed down to journalist Mzia Amaglobeli by Batumi City Court has sparked ﬁerce backlash both within Georgia and internationally. A coalition of 24 diplomatic missions in Georgia— including those from the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands— issued a joint statement condemning the ruling as “disproportionate and politically motivated.” The diplomats expressed alarm over what they view as a broader campaign of intimidation and legal harassment targeting independent media in the country.

Amaglobeli, founder of the independent news outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested on January 11, 2025, during a protest in Batumi. According to the prosecution, she slapped the face of Batumi policeman Irakli Dgebuadze during a demonstration in which he sought to prevent her sticking a protest sticker on a wall. Initially held on administrative grounds and briefly released, she was later re-arrested and charged under Article 353^1 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which pertains to resistance or violence against a public order officer. This article carries a penalty of two to six years in prison, or alternatives such as house arrest or a fine.

Judge Nino Sakhelashvili reclassiﬁed the initial charge—which carried a harsher penalty of four to seven years for assaulting a public ofﬁcial—to the lesser Article 353^1 offense, ultimately sentencing Amaglobeli to two years in prison. Her pretrial detention lasted over 200 days, during which her physical and visual

health reportedly declined. The judge informed her after the verdict that she has the right to seek a presidential pardon.

The joint diplomatic statement described Amaglobeli’s case as emblematic of Georgia’s deteriorating media climate, where independent journalists face escalating legal and political pressures. The signatories, members and allies of the Media Freedom Coalition, also referenced previous calls made in December 2024 demanding an end to

violence and intimidation against journalists. They emphasized that Georgia’s international commitments to democratic values are at stake and called for Amaglobeli’s immediate release.

As she left the courtroom, Mzia Amaghlobeli was reportedly holding a handwritten sign that read: “A slap to the regime.” This detail was shared by Eter Turadze, editor-in-chief of Batumelebi, who condemned the sentence in strong terms. “Yes, that’s it!” Turadze said. “What greater injustice can the

state, the court, the police, and the executive authorities commit against a citizen when they send Mzia Amaghlobeli, who has health problems and has committed no crime, to prison for two years? Everyone is ganging up on one woman! Bravo! This is a system of evil that must be dismantled.” Turadze added, “The truth is on our side, and we cannot allow the truth to be erased or encourage, through silence, the evil that reigns in this country.”

Public demonstrations erupted in Batumi following the court’s decision, with crowds marching from the courthouse chanting slogans such as “False witness police ofﬁcers” and “Freedom for Mzia.” Supporters escorted Amaglobeli with encouragement as she was taken into custody. The protests reﬂect a growing public unease with the government’s treatment of journalists, particularly those critical of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Prominent opposition figures have also spoken out. Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the "For Georgia" party, denounced the verdict as a self-inflicted blow to the Georgian Dream government, stating on social media that in Amaglobeli, the regime “has lost the main battle – the fight for dignity.” He praised her as a symbol of unbreakable strength.

Former President Salome Zurabishvili called the verdict evidence of a regime that “no longer has the courage to back down, even when it is clear no crime was committed.” She described Amaglobeli as “the greatest sign of strength” in the country today, arguing that the ruling deﬁes the will of the Georgian people and undermines the country’s aspirations for deeper ties with Europe.

Amaglobeli’s imprisonment has also drawn sharp criticism from international human rights organizations. Amnesty

International reported that she has been verbally abused and spat upon during detention, denied adequate medical care, and often prevented from seeing her lawyer. The group has demanded a transparent investigation into the treatment she has endured while in custody.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Press Institute (IPI), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) all condemned the trial proceedings, calling them a disproportionate and politically charged effort to silence a critical voice. The Clooney Foundation’s TrialWatch initiative added that the criminal justice system had been weaponized in this case, urging Georgia to respect its obligations to media freedom.

German MEP Sergey Lagodinsky echoed these calls, describing the case as an overreaction to what he called “a single slap.” In a post on social media, he reiterated the European Parliament’s demand for her release and noted the state had simultaneously moved to seize the ﬁnancial assets of both Batumelebi and Netgazeti, adding further pressure on Georgia’s dwindling independent press.

This incident, along with the ongoing pressures faced by independent media, puts at risk the hard-earned progress Georgia has made in building an open and diverse media landscape. The fact that so many diplomatic missions have come together to speak out highlights just how vital media freedom and democracy are—not just for Georgia, but for the entire region.

As protests continue and international pressure builds, the government’s response—and whether Amaglobeli is granted clemency—will likely serve as a test of Georgia’s commitment to the principles of justice, accountability, and press freedom.

A video still of Mzia Amaglobeli on her way to court on Wednesday. Source: PUBLIKA

Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan Deepen

Ties within Push for Regional Cooperation

BY TEAM GT

Georgian Prime Minister

Irakli Kobakhidze met with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow on the sidelines of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in Awaza, Turkmenistan, marking a new chapter in growing bilateral relations between the two nations.

According to the Georgian Government Administration, the leaders discussed expanding trade and economic cooperation, with particular emphasis on the energy sector, including the strategic role of the Southern Gas Corridor in facilitating the transit of Turkmen natural gas to European markets. The conversation highlighted the mutual interest in enhancing energy connectivity and economic ties.

Both leaders also underlined the importance of maintaining regional peace and stability, afﬁrming their commitment to fostering a secure and cooperative environment in the wider Caspian and South Caucasus regions. As a symbol of growing diplomatic engagement, Prime Minister Kobakhidze extended an ofﬁcial invitation to President Berdimuhamedow

to pay an ofﬁcial visit to Georgia.

GEORGIA’S ROLE IN CONNECTING

LANDLOCKED NATIONS

Prime Minister Kobakhidze is participating in the Third UN Conference on

Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission’s Report to be Made Public in September

BY TEAM GT

The

ﬁnal report of Georgia’s Parliament’s Temporary Investigative Commission will not be made public until September, Commission Chairperson Tea Tsulukiani conﬁrmed during the body’s concluding session on August 4.

“Based on the views expressed by commission members, the draft report will be voted on today, but it will not be made public,” Tsulukiani stated. “Our mandate expires tomorrow, August 5, as the law requires the commission to complete its work within six months. The report will then be submitted to the Parliament Bureau, which will schedule a plenary session where we will formally present our ﬁndings.”

Tsulukiani claimed that the plenary session is expected to take place in the ﬁrst days of September, at which point

the commission’s report will be made public.

The Temporary Investigative Commission was established earlier this year to examine controversial issues surrounding the alleged pressure on judges and interference in the judiciary. The commission has interviewed dozens of current and former judges, legal experts, and ofﬁcials, sparking political debate and criticism from both opposition and civil society groups over the transparency and scope of the investigation.

The decision to delay the release of the report drew criticism from some opposition lawmakers, who accused the ruling party of seeking to control the narrative ahead of a critical political season.

The commission’s ﬁndings are expected to shed light on alleged abuses within Georgia’s judicial system and could have implications for future legislative reform as well as the country’s EU integration aspirations.

Landlocked Developing Countries, which brings together global leaders to address the development challenges faced by states without direct access to the sea. These countries often struggle with high transport costs, limited connectivity, and trade disadvantages that hinder their

economic integration and development.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres set the tone in his opening speech, highlighting the urgent need for collective action: “Despite representing 7 per cent of the world’s population, LLDCs account for just over one

per cent of the global economy and trade—a stark example of deep inequalities that perpetuate marginalization. These inequalities are not inevitable,” emphasizing that “this conference is not about obstacles. It is about solutions. It is about launching a new decade of ambition, through the Awaza Programme of Action and its deliverables, and fully unlocking the development potential of landlocked developing countries.”

Ahead of his speech at the conference, Kobakhidze emphasized Georgia’s strategic location as a crucial East-West transit corridor.

“[In my speech], I will emphasize Georgia’s strategic location and the country’s role as a vital corridor between East and West — a position that offers signiﬁcant connectivity opportunities for the eight participating landlocked countries,” Kobakhidze stated.

STRENGTHENING REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

On the sidelines of the conference, Kobakhidze also held a bilateral meeting with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov. The discussion focused on deepening regional cooperation in infrastructure development and trade facilitation, reafﬁrming the shared commitment to enhancing economic connectivity across the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Doctor Giorgi Akhobadze

Acquitted of Drug Charges, Prosecutor’s Ofﬁce to Appeal

BY TEAM GT

Doctor Giorgi Akhobadze, a prominent activist and vocal critic of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has been found not guilty of serious drug-related charges by the Tbilisi City Court. Moments after the verdict was announced by Judge Romeo Tqeshelashvili, Akhobadze was released from the courtroom and his handcuffs were removed.

Akhobadze had been charged under Article 260, Part 6 of the Criminal Code— an offense involving the illegal acquisition and possession of large quantities of narcotics, carrying a sentence of 8 to 20 years or even life imprisonment. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Akhobadze was accused of possessing 3.73 grams of Alpha-PVP, a potent synthetic stimulant.

The charges stemmed from his arrest on December 7, 2024, while he was on his way home from a protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue. The arrest immediately raised alarms among activists and civil society groups, many of whom viewed it as politically motivated.

Akhobadze had risen to national prominence in 2024 as a medical professionalturned-activist after the government introduced the controversial “Russian law” on foreign inﬂuence. His social media presence grew rapidly as he shared legal advice, medical knowledge, and guidance on resisting what he described as an increasingly authoritarian regime.

In court, Akhobadze testiﬁed that he had long anticipated a politically motivated arrest, stating during his July 22 testimony: “Before that, my activism wasn’t even as bothersome to the regime as a mosquito bite. After the Russian law was initiated, that changed—and they took an interest in me.”

He also claimed that months before his

arrest, regime-linked users had been planting a narrative online, suggesting he would be found with drugs or weapons. Akhobadze, who suffers from a spinal condition and was the sole caretaker of his bedridden mother—who passed away a month after his arrest—explained that he had deliberately avoided the front lines during protests for health and safety reasons.

“I had a mother to take care of, and if I myself had become someone who needed care, I had no one to take care of me.”

PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE TO APPEAL ACQUITTAL

Despite the not guilty verdict, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office has announced its intention to appeal the decision. In a statement, the office said: “Law enforcement officers detained the accused on December 8, 2024. He was charged with the illegal acquisition and possession of a particularly large quantity of narcotic substances… The evidence obtained in the criminal case was fully examined in the Tbilisi City

Court. Despite this, the court did not accept the evidence presented by the prosecution, declared the accused not guilty of the charges brought against him, and released him from detention.”

The Prosecutor’s Ofﬁce conﬁrmed it will appeal the ruling to the Tbilisi Court of Appeals following the receipt of the court’s written judgment.

POLITICAL OVERTONES AND PUBLIC REACTION

The case has attracted widespread attention due to Akhobadze’s high-proﬁle role in anti-government protests and his outspoken criticism of Georgian Dream. Many activists and human rights observers have expressed concern that the charges were part of a broader crackdown on dissent, especially against pro-European and anti-authoritarian voices in the country.

Akhobadze’s acquittal has been welcomed by his supporters as a rare judicial victory, though concerns remain about continued legal pressure and surveillance of opposition ﬁgures.

Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedow (L), PM Kobakhidze (C) and António Guterres, Secretary General of the UN (R)

The Temporary Investigative Commission. Source: gov.ge

Doctor Giorgi Akhobadze. Source: 1TV

“The Georgians fought really well. There was no shame in that defeat” — Col. Liam Collins on the lessons of the 2008 war

Continued from page 1

He also weighs in on the controversy around when the war actually began, the debate over whether Saakashvili fell into a Russian trap, and the domestic political attempts in Georgia today to reassign blame, nearly two decades later.

LET’S BEGIN WITH THE LEGACY AND LESSONS OF THE 2008 WAR — WHAT’S BEEN LEARNED, AND WHAT HASN’T?

One of the biggest lessons Russia took from it was not to send a large force across the border. Instead, they shifted to what’s now called grey zone warfare. Between 2008 and 2014, they really built on that concept — and executed it to perfection when they took Crimea without even ﬁring a shot.

They also realized their conventional forces weren’t that good, and that they needed to ﬁx it — especially their information operations, which they doubled down on. The 2008 war was really the ﬁrst time we saw cyber operations used alongside a military offensive.

But then, of course, Russia forgot all of that when they invaded Ukraine en masse in 2022. Before that, though, grey zone tactics had allowed them to take a good chunk of Donbas, under the label of “separatists.”

AND WHAT DID GEORGIA LEARN IN 2008?

That it had a very capable military. One of the bigger surprises of that war was just how effectively the small Georgian army fought — especially considering that one of their brigades was deployed supporting NATO operations at the time. They didn’t even have their full force at home, and they still went head-to-head with the Russians. They fought well, really well. In the end, it was Russia’s sheer mass that made the difference. So one could say there was absolutely no shame in that defeat. Georgia did better than anyone would have expected.

After the war, though, Georgia was left in a tough spot. Where should they go for allies? NATO isn’t eager to take in countries with occupied territories. And that, I think, is another lesson Russia learned from this war — how to stop a country from joining NATO. The best way to do that is to create contested borders. And that’s the same approach they took in Crimea, and to some extent in Donbas.

BUT BY 2022, THE PLAN HAD CHANGED, RIGHT? IT’S NO LONGER ABOUT NATO: PUTIN WANTS ALL OF UKRAINE NOW. Deﬁnitely. His goals changed, his whole perspective shifted, because of other things going on in the world.

WHAT DID THE WEST LEARN FROM THE 2008 WAR?

Pretty much nothing. They ignored it. They weren’t really paying attention. There’s this Western, or NATO/US, bias to only look at operations that they’re involved in. And we’re still seeing this today.

Look at the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. The one lesson people seemed to take from that was, “Hey, what’s the role of UAVs in modern warfare?” But no one really bothered to study or understand what actually happened in the conﬂict. So, overall, I’d say the West didn’t learn much from the 2008 war in Georgia. If we’d understood that war better — if we’d studied it and recognized Russia’s patterns — we could have potentially prevented the annexation of Crimea, the war in Donbas, and maybe even what happened in 2022. But we didn’t.

PEOPLE OFTEN CITE THE BUCHAREST SUMMIT FOR PROMPTING RUSSIA TO ACT, OR THE RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE. BUT THERE’S THAT SHORT CLIP WHERE PUTIN SAYS THE PLAN WAS BEING WORKED ON IN 2006 AND WAS AUTHORIZED IN 2007. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT?

I’m not really convinced that NATO expansion was the primary cause. Russia, and Putin—he’s a bully, right? And if you back down to a bully, as we did with Hitler before World War II, they just keep taking.

What you’ve got to do is punch a bully in the face so they back down.

If you let Putin take a little, he just keeps going. So to me, it has less to do with NATO and more to do with Russian imperialism. That’s why they wanted Georgia. That’s why they want Ukraine.

THERE’S ALSO THAT OTHER DATE, MARCH 2006, WHEN RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES HAD TO LEAVE GEORGIA. THAT WAS A BIG LOSS OF LEVERAGE FOR RUSSIA.

Exactly. Putin was just looking for an excuse, just like in Crimea. They build these war plans knowing the West won’t really stop them. Maybe a few sanctions, but what are sanctions to Russia? Historically, they’ve just been a slap on the wrist.

Russia gets what it wants, and the shortterm cost is worth the long-term gain.

That’s why the planning started in 2006. But again, more than any of these immediate causes, it really goes back to imperial ambition.

And Putin’s a rational actor. He calculates cost versus beneﬁt, and he saw that the cost of going in was much lower than the potential payoff.

COULD THE WAR HAVE BEEN AVOIDED? COULD GEORGIA HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO STOP IT? OR WAS IT INEVITABLE?

That’s hard to say. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was avoidable.

But there was this lack of clear communication from the US, from the Bush administration, about what our actual commitment to Georgia was.

And then you had the Georgian president [ed. Mikheil Saakashvili] making statements that maybe weren’t necessary, or possibly believing the US was more likely to back Georgia than it really was.

That might have pushed Putin to say, “OK, let’s go ahead and execute this plan while we still can.”

But again, it’s tough. Georgia is a small country. No matter how capable its military was — and it was very capable — it’s still too small to stand up to a country like Russia on its own.

AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE CONTENTIOUS ISSUE OF WHEN THE WAR ACTUALLY STARTED — THE 7TH OR THE 8TH? AND OF COURSE, THAT FEEDS INTO THE DEBATE OVER WHO STARTED IT.

Well, the Russians, and South Ossetians, will say the Georgians started it by ﬁring artillery into Tskhinvali.

So then, they claim, the Russians were just responding to defend them. But we know that’s not true.

The Russian troops were already positioned and waiting to invade. They were just looking for an excuse — trying to blame the Georgians and then move in over the border. The fact that the Russians started their cyber-attacks against Georgia 1-2 weeks in advance of the war is compelling evidence that Russia had committed to invade.

At that point, it was preemptive. So I don’t buy that argument, and I don’t

think most people do.

Georgia is a sovereign nation, and it has every right to defend itself and its territorial integrity.

By and large, both the international community and the legal community agree: the war was started by Russia. No doubt.

DOES THAT TURN THE ALLEGATIONS THAT SAAKASHVILI FELL INTO A RUSSIAN TRAP INTO A MOOT ARGUMENT?

Arguably, he could have fallen into the trap, but I honestly think at that point the attack was going to happen. Once the Russian troops were sitting on the border, they were going to go over, even if he didn't return [ﬁre]. Putin had already made the decision — he'd have come up with some kind of a weak justiﬁcation.

He’d fabricate something.

UKRAINE DID NOT RESPOND TO THE RUSSIAN PROVOCATIONS. NOT DURING POROSHENKO’S TIME AND NOT DURING ZELENSKY’S EITHER. AND PUTIN STILL INVADED.

Exactly. And he still invaded. And so I think, in this case, Russia decided it was going to do it. It decided the time was right. Regardless of what Georgia would have done, it was probably going to happen. The way to prevent it was through international backing — by the US, by some stronger nations — you know, communicating real support, not just cheap talk, but real support to Georgia in some way that would convince Putin that it's not in his best interest. Because again, he's pretty rational about why he does these things. Sometimes he calculates wrong, like he did in 2022, but he still follows certain logic — he looks at cost and beneﬁts. So what you've got to look at is: how can we, prior to the inva-

sion, increase the cost for Putin so it’s not worth it?

I HAVE INTERVIEWED 20+ US OFFICIALS OF THAT TIME, AND THERE IS AN OVERWHELMING CONSENSUS AMONG THEM THAT: 1) THEY SAW THE SIGNS, BUT DIDN’T BELIEVE IT COULD HAPPEN, 2) WHEN IT HAPPENED, THEY WERE LATE TO REACT. WHAT WAS THAT FAILURE BORNE OF?

I think this is just one of those cases where no matter what the intelligence is telling you, in your mind there’s no way Russia will actually invade Georgia — because it’s the 21st century, and we don’t have state-on-state warfare in Europe. And even if the intel is all pointing in this direction, just a fundamental belief that we don’t have these wars anymore is what did it. No one could believe that it would actually happen.

I CAN GET BEHIND YOUR ARGUMENT THAT NOBODY THOUGHT IT WAS POSSIBLE, BUT THEN IT SUDDENLY WAS. RUSSIA WENT AND INVADED ANOTHER STATE — GEORGIA. WAS THE US RESPONSE ADEQUATE?

I don't think it was adequate. But again, with the slow response by the US and the war being over so quick, there probably wasn’t much they could do. In the end, I think they learned from that mistake in 2008, and from the mistake of 2014 — and that’s why, when Russia went into Ukraine in 2022, within one to two days we had some pretty signiﬁcant sanctions being slapped on to Russia. 17 YEARS SINCE THE 2008 WAR, GEORGIA NOW HAS A RULING PARTY STAGING A TELEVISED COMMISSION TO LOOK FOR CULPRITS IN THE 2008 WAR — NOT IN RUSSIA, BUT FROM AMONG THE FORMER GOVERNMENT. WHAT CONCLUSIONS DO YOU DRAW WHEN YOU SEE THAT?

I don't think it's helpful. I mean, if someone was collaborating with Russia to actually support the invasion, by all means go after them, no matter how much time has passed. But if you're just going in, 17 years later, in terms of hindsight, and saying: “Hey, it was a bad policy decision” — but that was a decision that a Georgian made with good intentions, right? People that were trying to do the best they could with the information they had at the time. There's really nothing to be gained by that. That kind of a witch-hunt doesn’t do any good for unifying the country. It doesn’t help the country move forward. It doesn’t help the country be better prepared.

Putin Meets US Envoy as Trump’s Ultimatum Nears Deadline

BY TEAM GT

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a three-hour meeting on Wednesday with US envoy Steve Witkoff in what the Kremlin described as “useful and constructive” talks—just two days before the expiration of a deadline set by President Donald Trump for Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine or face fresh sanctions.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov says the two sides exchanged “signals” regarding the war in Ukraine and explored the potential for renewed strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington. Ushakov, who attended the meeting, declined to offer further details, noting that more information would follow once Witkoff had briefed President Trump.

The meeting marked a last-minute diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year-long war sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev welcomed Witkoff upon arrival and accompanied

him on a stroll near the Kremlin. Dmitriev later wrote on social media: “Dialogue will prevail.”

The US administration has not yet issued an ofﬁcial statement.

Trump, reportedly growing impatient with Putin over the lack of progress, has threatened to impose steep tariffs on countries continuing to trade with Russia. India, a major buyer of Russian oil alongside China, is facing increased pressure from Washington. The Kremlin has dismissed such threats as unlawful interference in international trade.

What Russia might offer in order to avert the looming sanctions remains unclear. However, sources cited by Bloomberg and the independent Russian outlet The Bell suggest the Kremlin may propose a temporary halt to airstrikes by both Russia and Ukraine—an idea reportedly ﬂoated last week by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with Putin.

“We had a very useful and constructive conversation,” Ushakov told Russian media outlet Zvezda.

“On our part, particularly regarding Ukraine, we sent certain signals. We also received corresponding signals from President Trump.”

Colonel (retired) Liam Collins, PhD. Source: CNN

John Foreman: Putin Will Try to String Trump Along, and Ukraine May Pay the Price

INTERVIEW BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

Mr John Foreman CBE, an independent consultant on Russia, Ukraine, and international security, brings decades of military and diplomatic experience to bear in understanding Kremlin strategy and Western responses. A former UK Defense Attaché in both Moscow and Kyiv, Foreman spoke with Radio Free Europe's Georgian Service, offering a candid assessment of the current geopolitical dynamics surrounding the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. In the interview, he expressed deep skepticism about the prospects of a meaningful peace deal brokered by Donald Trump, warning that the Kremlin is stringing Washington along with hollow promises and temporary concessions — a tactic he views as dangerously reminiscent of past failures in deterring Russian aggression.

FIRST, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S “DEADLINE,” WHICH, AFTER ENVOY WITKOFF’S VISIT TO MOSCOW, SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN EXTENDED AGAIN: DID THAT DEADLINE HAVE PUTIN WORRIED? IS HE GOING TO CHANGE HIS PLANS AND BEHAVIOR?

I doubt it. If we listen to the “music” coming out of what Putin said to Lukashenko, then the impression is that they think Trump’s bark is worse than his bite. I'm not convinced that without serious pressure being brought on by the Americans, Russia will change course, because Putin thinks he's winning. Sure, he wants to avoid sanctions, because we know their economy's under strain, but he wants to carry on pressing on the ground. I think he wants to maintain a reasonable relationship with the Americans, so I think it more likely that Putin will try and string the Americans along with more talks on a partial truce, or by releasing children, or maybe a moratorium of sorts, something temporary. He’s playing for time. And the other question, of course, is that Trump's going to have to make a decision, which he's consistently failed or not wanted to do for the last seven months. He already said 50 days, and then brought it forward. And although his language is hardened,

John Foreman. Source: scstrategy

and he's been issuing tariffs against India, does he really want to bring the hammer down on China? Because China's the big partner. Does he want to upend the world’s oil market? Does he really want to put 100% tariffs on those countries? He's a very capricious man. His opinion changes from day to day.

HOW DOES STEVE WITKOFF’S VISIT AFFECT TRUMP’S DECISION MAKING? WHAT WERE THE TAKEAWAYS OF WITKOFF DIPLOMACY?

The problem with Witkoff and Trump is that they are transactional figures. They think that everybody wants a deal, “so we’ll have to just find a deal with the Russians and then we’ll have peace.” I don't think the Russians want a deal at all. And I think Witkoff has been shown to be a credulous figure throughout the whole process. He goes to Moscow, and he goes to the White House and says:

“Hey guys, the Russians really want to do a deal with us.” He was a guy who wanted to lift sanctions on energy, sanctions on Russia, or do something about Nord Stream, which was slapped down.

DO YOU THINK HE IS GENUINE IN HIS BELIEFS AND IS JUST BEING PLAYED BY THE RUSSIANS, OR IS HE JUST PLAYING ALONG?

I think he’s being played by the Russians. “Yeah, Steve, everything could be great. If only we could do a deal together.” He’s inexperienced. Every time he opens his mouth, he utters one Russian talking point or another. I don't think he's got a great understanding of the situation. I think he's naive. They get him chatting with people like Dmitriev, to make it look like the big businessmen are discussing things, and then Dmitriev just effortlessly strings him along.

ONE TANGIBLE RESULT, HOWEVER, IS THAT PUTIN AND TRUMP ARE APPARENTLY POISED TO MEET FACE TO FACE. POSSIBLY WITH ZELENSKY AS WELL. WHAT’S TO EXPECT FROM THAT?

Let’s just look at how Witkoff’s visit went. He sat there for three hours, wasn’t escorted, alone with Putin, without anybody who knows much about national security. And god knows what they discussed for those three hours, but the main takeaway seems to be this face-toface summit between Trump and Putin. This, again, shows Trump's capriciousness. One minute he's threatening to put down tariffs, next minute, he's bragging about a face to face summit as the result of a “very productive meeting.” Trump doesn’t have a good track record of such summits, to put it mildly. If we go back and look at his earlier summit with Putin in Helsinki, or his meeting with Kim Jong-un. Both of those led to nothing. I fear Trump thinks he can Hail Mary this into peace, that he can turn up there, as the big man, and sort it all out, without prepwork.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT DEADLINE NOW THAT THEY ARE GOING TO MEET? WILL IT BE TURNED INTO ANOTHER METAPHOR, LIKE THE “WRAPPING UP THE UKRAINE WAR IN 24

HOURS” ENDED UP BEING?

Well, that deadline’s slipped even further away, because each time he gets close to a deadline, there's another way found to try and slip around it. Now it seems he’s pinning things on this hastily arranged, half-cooked summit. What worries me that Trump's going to try to claim he’s achieved peace, Putin is going to string him along, avoid sanctions, provide some concession, and then they will try to strong arm the Ukrainians into accepting it, with the Europeans set aside. The Europeans will be marginalized, the Ukrainians will have to swallow what’s agreed, and Trump and Putin will claim they achieved peace.

Putin’s got all his Christmasses at once, because he’s got direct negotiations with the Americans over the fate of Ukraine, without the Ukrainians or Europeans at the table. He’s regarded as a great power, the big dog. He's the one who's brought Russia back on equal parity with the United States. They can usher us into a sort of modern Yalta. And we know what the consequences were of that for millions of people: being sold down the river. So I think the risks are very high.

THE THING THAT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT IS SOME SORT OF PARTIAL TRUCE, SUCH AS IN AIR COMBAT. WOULD THAT BE FAVORABLE TO UKRAINE, CONSIDERING ITS RELIANCE ON DRONES?

Let’s face it, if Russia dangles the idea of the ceaseﬁre being about hitting the cities, Trump will say: “Hey, great! I stopped them hitting the cities!” and then agree to continue the negotiations. But the ground war will continue, which means Russia can then focus all its effort on the frontal breakthroughs. And among other things, that would drop Ukraine from the headlines, deprive it of all the international attention, because nobody's interested what's going on at the front: they're only interested nowadays if cities are hit, as cynical as it might sound. It's also the only thing that gets White House attention.

And the grinding battles, the dogged battle over some villages which people can't even pronounce, after three years? They will just ignore that. So this would just drop Ukraine from the news agenda even further, which I think Russia would ﬁnd a great boon. Then, when the time is right, Russia can blame the Ukrain-

ians for violation.

WOULD THAT SORT OF TRUCE ALSO INCLUDE HITTING TARGETS DEEP INSIDE RUSSIA?

Deﬁnitely. I think that would be part of the deal. But you know, Russia broke its obligations last time to stop hitting energy infrastructure inside Ukraine. And this time, Russia will get what it wants because it cannot defend its own sites on Russian soil: it has shown itself to be absolutely hopeless at protecting sites inside Russia.

So a) Moscow gets a respite from that, b) it drops Ukraine off the news agenda and c) it tries to get a sanctions reprieve by pretending it’s genuinely interested in peace, all the while increasing pressure on Ukraine by claiming it’s they who are unwilling to accept.

And then Trump will go and say: “Look, we had a deal, but the Ukrainians didn't want to sign, so I am washing my hands of the whole problem.”

I think, fundamentally, Trump does want the whole problem to go away, and he'll clutch at straws to get that.

WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE UKRAINE IN THESE PEACE TALKS? DOES ZELENSKY, TO QUOTE TRUMP ONCE AGAIN, HAVE ANY CARDS LEFT UP HIS SLEEVE?

I think it leaves Ukraine a very difﬁcult position. Ukraine's been on the back foot since 2023, since its offensive failed. The change in the White House is not just an issue about arms supplies, it's also about Ukrainian morale. The Ukrainians are tired of war, and their biggest backers have waned over the last six or seven months. I think a lot of Ukrainians are putting hope now on Trump ﬁnally “getting it,” but as I said, I'm not entirely sure he's going to do that, because that's not in his nature. I think Trump is much more interested in China than he is in Ukraine. Fundamentally, he sees Ukraine as a European problem. And, sadly, the Europeans aren't stepping up in the same way. That makes me think that, unfortunately, there is a real chance of a messy and wholly unsatisfactory peace deal, however temporary: one that swaps land for truce. And I think, since you are Georgian, you must know exactly what happened in 2008 after such a truce was negotiated. Unfortunately, I think that’s where the current trajectory points.

Lelo for Georgia Pays Fine as Party Denounces Account Freeze as Politically Motivated

BY TEAM GT

The National Bureau of Enforcement has conﬁrmed that the political party “Lelo for Georgia” has paid an administrative ﬁne imposed by court decision, concluding ongoing enforcement proceedings and lifting restrictions that had previously been placed on the party’s bank accounts.

“We wish to inform the public that ‘Lelo for Georgia’ has paid the administrative ﬁne imposed by the court’s decision. Accordingly, the National Bureau of Enforcement has concluded the proceedings and lifted the restrictions on the party’s accounts,” the Bureau announced in an ofﬁcial statement.

The Bureau emphasized that it acts in full accordance with Georgian law, stressing that “all enforcement actions are conducted with impartiality and legality, whether the debtor is an individual, a legal entity, or a state institution.” The agency reafﬁrmed that its

operations are “guided by principles of justice and the effective execution of legal decisions.”

LELO ALLEGES POLITICAL HARASSMENT BEHIND ACCOUNT FREEZE

While the National Bureau of Enforcement portrayed the case as a routine legal matter, the Lelo – Strong Georgia coalition leaders have strongly condemned the account freeze, describing it as a politically motivated act orchestrated by the ruling Georgian Dream government.

At a special press brieﬁng on Wednesday, Irakli Kupradze, General Secretary of the coalition, called the freeze “a reckless attempt to obstruct the coalition’s political ﬁght.” He framed the move as part of a broader campaign of harassment against the party and its founder, Mamuka Khazaradze.

“For the past ﬁve days, the illegitimate ‘Georgian Dream’ government – led by the illegitimate Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the so-called Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili – has launched

an absurd and politically motivated attack on our coalition,” Kupradze stated.

“They are inventing ridiculous mechanisms like freezing our account in a desperate attempt to silence us. But we are not intimidated. We are in a ﬁght against a violent, Russian-aligned regime, and we will prevail – together with the citizens of Georgia.”

Kupradze claimed the coalition received

notice earlier that day regarding the account freeze, allegedly due to a 130 GEL court fee related to a lawsuit Lelo

ﬁled in 2022 against the Kaspi election district. He argued that the fee had already been paid, pointing out that the court accepted the case at the time, which would not have been possible without payment.

He further criticized what he called a

pattern of political pressure, noting the recent targeting of the German Ambassador by the ruling party and linking it to broader efforts to undermine proWestern political forces in Georgia.

THE BROADER POLITICAL CLIMATE

Lelo leaders argue that the administrative enforcement—despite now being resolved—is part of a systematic attempt to suppress opposition voices, using state institutions like the Ministry of Justice, the Anti-Corruption Agency, and now the Enforcement Bureau to create legal and ﬁnancial obstacles for dissenting political groups.

Kupradze concluded his remarks by highlighting Mamuka Khazaradze’s contributions to Georgia’s economy and civil society, dismissing what he called “laughable propaganda” from Georgian Dream, while warning the public of the seriousness of the situation:

“This is not just a political stunt – it’s part of a calculated strategy to tie our hands and undermine democratic resistance in Georgia.”

Lelo – Strong Georgia coalition members.

Source: frontnews

Smart Solutions Help Farmers and Wildlife Coexist in BorjomiKharagauli National Park

(NACRES), has already made signiﬁcant strides:

In the heart of Borjomi-Kharagauli

National Park, a groundbreaking partnership between local communities and environmental organizations is demonstrating how innovation can help reduce humanwildlife conﬂict — a growing challenge in Georgia’s mountain regions.

With support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Program (GEF SGP), a new pilot initiative is bringing smart, sustainable solutions to farmers whose livelihoods are threatened by predator attacks.

The project, led by the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Research

• 11 farms have been equipped with electric fences, creating a safer boundary for livestock.

• 20 farmers now use Foxlights, solarpowered predator deterrent devices that mimic human activity to keep predators at bay.

• 18 farmers have received portable solar stations and rechargeable lights, improving safety while also expanding access to clean, renewable energy.

The results have been swift and promising — fewer attacks from wolves and other predators, safer farms, and a stronger connection between environmental protection and economic resilience.

“This is a powerful example of how communities can adapt to climate and

biodiversity challenges using innovative, nature-friendly tools,” said a representative from NACRES. “We’re seeing not only improved protection for livestock, but also a more positive attitude toward coexistence with wildlife.”

The project is part of a broader UNDPGEF SGP effort to support communitybased environmental initiatives across Georgia. As the impacts of climate change intensify, such local partnerships are seen as critical for promoting both ecological balance and rural development.

By empowering farmers with technology and knowledge, the Borjomi-Kharagauli initiative is showing that conservation and community well-being can go hand in hand — lighting the way, quite literally, for a more sustainable future.

Consumer Complaints Rise in Georgia as Online Trade Issues Increase

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

The Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency (GCCA) reported a dramatic rise in consumer dissatisfaction during the ﬁrst seven months of 2025, recording 733 formal complaints, making it a 45% increase compared to the same period last year. Moreover, the agency handled over 2,300 phone inquiries related to consumer rights.

The majority of complaints (67%) originated from online purchases while 33% involved in-store transactions. Regionally, Tbilisi accounted for 79% of all cases, with smaller shares in Adjara (5%), Imereti (4%), Kakheti (3%) and Kvemo Kartli (2%). As the agency declared, the most frequent issues included refund requests (245 cases), demands for repairs of defective items (231) and poor service (125). A smaller number concerned with delivery delays (44) and misleading practices (26). In response, the GCCA identiﬁed 87

legal violations across 13 cases involving group consumer rights. As a result of current enforcement, 40 traders were ﬁned a total of GEL 33,000 for failing to meet regulatory obligations. In addition, 94 commitment agreements were signed under which companies pledged to revise internal policies and compensate affected consumers.

The retail and wholesale sector remains the most problematic, comprising 73% of all cases, followed by transport and warehousing (10%) and various other sectors (17%).

Money. Source: Georgia Travel

Number of SalaryEarning Workers in Georgia Up in May

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

PMC Research Center reports that the number of people in Georgia receiving a monthly salary was 991,803 in May 2025, reﬂecting a slight annual increase of 1.5% compared to May 2024.

The ﬁgures discussed below are part of PMC Research Center’s regular labor market monitoring supported by USAID and the European Union. Despite the year-on-year growth, the annual increase rate slowed by 2.8 percentage points compared to the same

month last year, showing a moderate deceleration in employment.

The salary distribution data also reveals subtle shifts. The share of individuals earning up to 600 GEL per month was 12.6%, a marginal 0.1 percentage point rise from April but a 2.3 percentage point decrease year-on-year.

On the other end of the spectrum, 2.8% of salaried individuals earned 9,600 GEL or more, a slight drop from April but still 0.3 percentage points higher than in May 2024. Meanwhile, those earning 2,400 GEL or more made up 31.8% of the total, down 1.2 percentage points from April but up nearly 5 points compared to last year.

Kutaisi Parliament Site to Become Technopark With New Public Park

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

The long-abandoned Parliament building in Kutaisi will go through major transformations, with plans to redevelop both the structure and its surrounding area. The goal is to repurpose the site into a hub for innovation and green public space.

The Kutaisi Parliament building has stood mostly unused since 2016 when legislative sessions returned to Tbilisi. Years of postponing necessary efforts have left its infrastructure in disrepair, prompting the need for comprehensive upgrades to electrical, heating and cooling systems.

The Municipal Development Fund has launched a market survey to determine costs for redesigning the surrounding

territory into a new park. Results will inform an upcoming tender to carry out the project. Interested parties must submit pricing proposals by August 11. Inside the building, the Innovation and Technology Agency has issued a GEL 9 million tender for renovations on the ﬁrst and second ﬂoors. The bidding process is scheduled to run from August 13 to 18.

These efforts are part of a broader preelection initiative to turn the former legislative complex into a Technopark that promotes innovation and technology. The agency also recently announced a GEL 711,000 tender for advanced robotic equipment, including humanoid and quadruped robots. Together, the redevelopment and park projects are a signiﬁcant change for the landmark site, making it a future-oriented space for technology and urban development.

Kutaisi "Parliament" building. Source: Radio Free Europe

Source: iStock Electric fences, foxlights and solar power. Source: UNDP BY TEAM GT

SOCIETY

From Inside the Amphora

here). The ﬁlm is called “Kvevri” in Georgian, “The Amphora,” and it’s available to see on YouTube.

There’s a hilarious Georgian ﬁlm about a man who goes inside one of the largest clay wine amphorae in Kakheti to repair it. Goes in… and gets stuck. They try everything to get him out, to no avail, until the happy if somewhat bumpy ending (no spoilers

I was recently invited by Georgian friends to stay at a hotel built around this concept: it has about 14 huge amphorae on its territory overlooking the Alazani Valley in the village of Shalauri, very near to the city of Telavi. Now, these aren’t clay vessels, but each is large enough for a double bed and full bathroom to ﬁt comfortably inside its curved walls, with

a balcony attached facing Tusheti’s mountains to the north. Spectacular. There’s an excellent restaurant, a swimming pool, sauna, massage to order, masterclasses in cooking, and the sheer novelty of staying inside an amphora!

I only spent one night at the Qvevrebi Hotel (as they transliterate it), but it was delightful. Other guests were from Switzerland, the USA, Russia, and other countries. The qvevrebi also look out onto the hotel’s vineyard: a nice link with the local wine scene. Come autumn, the rtveli (grape harvest) here must be very popular.

I arrived at lunchtime, which starts at 2pm and features menus for both the Georgian and European restaurants, though I only tried the former. The food was all excellent, with plenty of dishes for the vegetarian should such be a guest, as well as the full complement of meat dishes. Supper is also by menu, but breakfast (from 8-11am) features a really sumptuous buffet, hot and cold, as part of the price for a night. Proper coffee, most importantly. I congratulate the owners of this establishment on their ingenuity, and on getting the whole concept right!

I found myself wishing for the equivalent of this innovation in Svaneti or Tusheti or Khevsureti: taking an actual, millennium-old stone watchtower and ﬁtting out the inside as a multi-ﬂoor hotel space.

You’d have to keep the exterior all original, and add plumbing, electricity, proper stairs and more to the interior. The thick walls would keep it cool in summer, and hopefully also retain heat in winter. Maybe this is being done already. But using an ancient national monument, instead of building a new one copying that, is a whole different story. I’m not sure what freedoms the owner would have to modify their old tower in this way, even. A new one, built to look perfectly authentic?

Easy, though not cheap. Given the range of different architectural styles available to peruse at Tbilisi’s outdoor Ethnographic Museum, next to Lake Park, there’s also plenty of room for taking such beautiful old construction and turning it into a unique hospitality experience in other parts of the country. Or, again, copying it to the last detail in a new construction. Carved wooden balconies… a ceramic stove for heating; clay tile roofs… authentic materials, design and techniques. These would offer not only a novel experience, but also a reminder of how diverse Georgia’s architecture is across its many provinces. I can only imagine that this would be a great success.

info@qvevrebi. Tel. +995 551 551 557, regular and WhatsApp (Georgian, English and Russian)

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/ SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

Handling Media Craziness

BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

The hysterical informational disorder has overwhelmed the means of mass communication all over the world. Most of the free time meant for our mental development is being consumed by thousands of news sources popping up on our tablet or telephone screens, carrying us away at vertiginous speed toward the unknown, instead of placing us where all is clear and comprehensible—so we might happily continue a well-informed and educated way of life.

In the avalanche of mixed wanted and unwanted information, designed to turn us into classic modern zombies, it has become extremely difﬁcult to know which info is worth imbuing—because it is reliable, and what deserves rebuttal—because it is false.

There is a mind-boggling number of people on the air 24/7 worldwide—some in the role of interviewer, others as respondent—each of them claiming the irrefutable truth of the comments they are making nonstop. Certainly, the same holds true in Sakartvelo, where our curious and belligerent journalists, in line with their current political engagements, are locked in persistent battle with our obstreperous, bad-mouthing, and vituperative politi-

cians—who are ready to deploy any political trick to perpetuate their respective party’s concepts and principles.

And in the complicated process of that struggle, truth and lie intermingle so strongly that confusion becomes inevitable. No surprise! Georgia is an organic part of this crazy, crazy, crazy world, and nothing can change that.

One must be a high-level and overly skilled professional in political science to safely delve into the ocean of political commentaries available on the Internet and emerge with conclusions even remotely approximating the truth.

Otherwise, reading through the information currently processed and produced makes no sense—because the chance for a rank-and-ﬁle individual like myself to know the truth about ongoing events, either locally or globally, especially regarding the prolonged war in Ukraine and the unending havoc in the Middle East, is practically zero.

Without an iota of exaggeration, there is a sense of suffocation at the moment when you have to sit down and digest all that is being thrown at you by the army of media workers and the people they extract information from for further proliferation.

So, what is the way out?

There is, at the moment, nothing very rational looming on the horizon—except that we teach our young how to handle this informational paranoia. We must tell them that, in the high-stress situa-

tions we are living through, managing media madness can be like wearing a lifebelt when you don’t know how to swim. Right now, specialists are telling us it is very important to be positively pragmatic. Priority number one is giving priority to our mental health—and that is no overstatement. We need to teach our kids how to reduce

the impact of overwhelming media by limiting exposure to news and opinionbased content, deliberately and drastically. We must encourage engagement in positive ofﬂine activities; schedule speciﬁc times to check news and social media, rather than passively scrolling throughout the day; intentionally seek out uplifting or positive stories; understand that all media outlets carry perspectives and potential biases; avoid responding to

media content in the heat of the moment; and take time to process information and formulate a thoughtful response. These are just quick and brief off-hand tips. If taken more seriously, comprehensive research into this painful topic must be made—and fed, without delay, to our youth for one very simple reason: to save time, nerve, and energy for further balanced and cogent use of these valuable assets.

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

At the Qvevrebi Hotel. Photos by the author

Image source: Daniel Hertzberg

Source: InsureMyTrip

US Embassy Warns Georgians against Using Visas for Childbirth Travel

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

Amid increased scrutiny of visa applicants, the U.S. Embassy in Georgia has released a public notice warning Georgian nationals against attempting to use U.S. visas for the purpose of giving birth in the United States to secure automatic citizenship for their children.

CULTURE

Eldar

BY IVAN NECHAEV

EThe statement, released via the embassy’s ofﬁcial Facebook page, emphasizes that such use of travel documents constitutes a violation of U.S. visa policies. “If a consular ofﬁcer determines that the primary intent of travel is to give birth in the United States to obtain citizenship for the child, the visa will be denied,” the announcement reads.

While U.S. law grants automatic citizenship to any child born within American borders, the embassy cautions that misrepresenting one’s travel purpose during the visa application process is grounds for denial.

22 Foreign Nationals Deported from Georgia for Immigration Violations

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

The Migration Department of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has deported 22 foreign nationals as part of its ongoing efforts to enforce national immigration laws on those who legally reside in the country.

The Ministry stated that the individu-

als, originating from countries including Iraq, Russia, Iran, India, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Jordan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kenya, were expelled after being found they violated legal residency requirements.

All deported individuals have been banned from re-entering Georgia, under current immigration legislation.

The Ministry emphasized that the Migration Department is committed to identify unauthorized residents.

Shengelaia - The Ceiling Always Falls Eventually

ldar Shengelaia, who died at 92 this week, made ﬁlms that seemed, at ﬁrst glance, to be comedies. They were, in fact, quiet revolutions. His most famous, ‘Blue Mountains, or Unbelievable Story’ (1983), is remembered for a single, perfect image: a publishing-house ceiling collapsing while the employees, buried in paperwork and self-protective indifference, hardly look up. It is the kind of visual metaphor that outlives the political system it was born into, moving freely from Soviet Georgia to anywhere human inertia holds sway — which is to say, almost everywhere.

In the soft, sly register of Georgian humor, the joke was never simply a joke. Satire, here, functions as both shield and scalpel: a way of speaking truth while making it sound like music. Shengelaia’s Georgia was not the dour Soviet periphery of Western imagination, but a densely textured cultural landscape — a place where bureaucracy was absurd, but also where absurdity could be made beautiful.

The legend goes that Mikhail Gorbachev saw Blue Mountains with Eduard Shevardnadze and, upon witnessing the roof collapse, remarked: “Eduard, if we don’t do something, the ceiling will fall on our heads too.” It’s the kind of story that has the neatness of a parable — whether or not it happened exactly that way, it conﬁrms something essential: Shengelaia’s satire worked because it was recognisable to those inside the system as much as to those watching from the street.

The anthropology of humor teaches that satire often functions as what the sociologist Peter Berger called a “signal of transcendence” — a moment when ordinary discourse breaks, revealing a higher perspective on absurdity. In many authoritarian or over-bureaucratized systems, satire operates as a permitted form of criticism, tolerated precisely because it is coded in irony rather than explicit political challenge.

In Georgia, this coding was doubly layered. Shengelaia’s satire emerged not

in the monochrome register of Moscow cultural production, but in the full chromatic and musical richness of Georgian aesthetics. Blue Mountains is steeped in the rhythms of Tbilisi life — the cluttered ofﬁces, the languid pacing, the coffee cups and desultory conversations — all refracted through a distinctly Georgian sense of irony that blends tenderness with exasperation.

Anthropologists studying Soviet Georgia, such as Florian Mühlfried, have noted that Georgian cultural expression often relied on indirect critique — metaphor, allegory, and humor — as a survival strategy under centralized control.

Shengelaia’s work stands squarely in this tradition, turning local narrative style into a universal indictment of bureaucratic inertia.

His career, however, cannot be reduced to a single satirical hit. ‘Eccentrics’ (Sherekilebi, 1973), created in collaboration with another master of speaking about the global through the small — Rezo Gabriadze, reads like a postmodern fable: love, absurdity, and a corpse to dispose of, all in the sunlit tones of Georgian countryside and urban edge. It resonates with a long European tradition of grotesque romanticism — echoing the theatrical excess of Fellini and the moral farce of Gogol, but inﬂected with a Caucasian sensuality and moral ambiguity.

‘Melodies of the Vera Quarter’ (1973), the ﬁrst Georgian musical, inhabits another corner of cultural history. Vera, a historic district of Tbilisi, was not merely a backdrop; it was a microcosm of urban Georgian identity — a district where Armenian merchants, Georgian aristocrats, and Soviet modernists all left traces. By turning Vera into a singing, breathing cinematic subject, Shengelaia preserved a piece of urban anthropology in melodic form. The songs, still performed today, function as a “cultural memory” — living archives that bind generations through repetition.

To think of the collapsing ceiling in Blue Mountains as only a political metaphor is to miss its philosophical depth. The image belongs equally to the existential tradition: Kafka’s blocked door-

ways, Beckett’s endless waiting, Camus’ absurd man pushing his boulder. Here, entropy is not simply a Soviet condition — it is a human one. Buildings collapse when no one cares; institutions collapse when no one takes responsibility; relationships collapse when no one invests in their repair. In that sense, Shengelaia’s art transcends the Soviet frame. The Blue Mountains ceiling could be the neglected infrastructure of any modern city, the inert committee of any multinational corporation, the internal rot of any state whose rituals have outlived their meaning.

By the time Blue Mountains was released, Soviet cinema was already experimenting with more open social commentary, but few works matched Shengelaia’s blend of local color and universal critique. His ﬁlms demonstrate how Georgian cinema — often overshadowed internationally by Russian and European auteurs — has long possessed the narrative sophistication to stand in dialogue with world cinema’s great satirists and humanists.

In a world where bureaucratic absurdity has migrated from Soviet ministries to global corporate boardrooms, Shenge-

laia’s vision remains uncannily fresh.

His passing invites us to revisit the questions his ﬁlms pose: How do systems lose their vitality? How does art alert us to decay before the ceiling falls? And what cultural forms best transmit these warnings across generations?

The answers are never ﬁxed, but Shengelaia’s ﬁlms suggest one: to encode truth in humor, to hide the sharpest blade inside the gentlest gesture. In that sense, his cinema remains a living cultural artifact — an ongoing conversation between Georgia and the world about the delicate art of telling the truth beautifully.

Eldar Shengelaia. Photo by The Nato Vachnadze Foundation / FB

An immigrant being escorted by Georgian border police. Source: 1TV

Between Stone and Void: Zurab Abkhazi’s Celestial Bodies

REVIEW BY IVAN NECHAEV

On a bright afternoon in Tbilisi, the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel does what international hotels do: it offers an air-conditioned lobby, the faint smell of expensive cleaning products, and the invisible hum of transient business. But climb the stairs to the exhibition passage, and the space seems to fold in on itself. The temperature is the same, but the light changes, and suddenly you’re standing in Zurab Abkhazi’s universe — black, white, textured, deliberate.

The show is called Celestial Bodies, though the word “celestial” is almost misleading. The work is less about heaven than about the long, slow tactility of space, the kind you can almost run your ﬁngers along.

Abkhazi was born in Gori in 1968, studied at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, and spent years teaching art in Uplistsikhe — the ancient rock-hewn town where cave walls hold both prehistoric carvings and Soviet grafﬁti. It’s the kind of place where you understand, viscerally, that history is not a sequence, but a compression. From that vantage, his paintings make sense. He is a German Expressionist in temperament — broad gestures, heavy surfaces — but his pigments carry the weight of stone dust.

The show, presented by Dédicace’s Gallery and Silk Hospitality, comes with the claim that “the endless combinations of black and white mirror the cosmos itself, mysterious, inﬁnite.” In the hands of another artist, this might land as just the usual marketing breathlessness. But Abkhazi’s monochrome isn’t minimalism; it’s geology under a telescope. His blacks are not voids but sediment. His whites have weight. They don’t ﬂoat — they press down.

One of the works in Celestial Bodies doesn’t announce itself. It’s modest in scale, hung low, as if it had slipped into

the exhibition by mistake. It looks at ﬁrst like an aerial photograph of tundra in winter — patches of pale terrain, rivers of black cutting through. But stand there for more than a minute and something happens. The pale becomes luminous, the black begins to curl inward, and the whole surface starts to feel less like land than like the skin of a planet seen from an impossible closeness.

The shift is partly optical, partly narrative. In anthropology, there’s a term — “scale-switching” — used to describe how people move between the intimate and the monumental without warning.

A villager speaks about the family cow and, without a pause, about the fate of the nation. In Georgian culture, this leap is instinctive: a supra table conversation can start with the texture of the wine and arrive, two toasts later, at the nature

of the universe. Abkhazi’s painting works the same way. You think you’re looking at mineral pigment; then you realize you’re looking at time itself, pressed flat. And because the show is happening in the Radisson Blu, there’s another layer. The room hums faintly with the air-conditioning; someone in a suit drifts by, checking their phone. In Erving Goffman’s sociology of “frame analysis,” such interruptions are called “key changes” — the moment the scene you’re in is redefined by an external cue. You’re orbiting the painting, and then you’re pulled back into the gravitational field of the hotel, where infinity is measured in Wi-Fi signal strength. In the centuries when the Silk Road cut through this part of the Caucasus, travelers stopped at caravanserais — stone inns built around courtyards — where merchants, pilgrims, and envoys

from far-off cities shared walls, meals, and the occasional rumor about empires rising or collapsing beyond the horizon. Today, the Radisson Blu Iveria stands on the same trade routes, though the currency has shifted from silk to conference calls, the camel bells replaced by the discreet click of wheeled suitcases.

Still, the exhibition hall feels like a descendant of those older waystations. Business travelers in pressed shirts wander in with the vague curiosity of people between obligations. A pair of tourists in sandals linger longer, speaking French to each other in hushed tones. A Georgian couple, here for a wedding reception downstairs, stumble upon Abkhazi’s paintings as if on an unplanned detour.

The room becomes a shared pause, a modern courtyard without walls.

Anthropologists might call this a “con-

tact zone,” borrowing Mary Louise Pratt’s term for spaces where cultures meet under asymmetrical conditions. But here, the asymmetry isn’t political — it’s temporal. The hotel runs on the schedule of ﬂights, check-in times, and corporate agendas; the paintings operate on geological time, cosmic time. In the brief overlap, a traveler might carry something away that can’t be scanned at security: the memory of a pigment’s shadow, the sense of walking between stone and void.

Outside, Tbilisi’s trafﬁc pushes east and west along Rustaveli Avenue, tracing the same axis that once ferried silk, spices, manuscripts. Inside, under the steady hum of the air system, Abkhazi’s Celestial Bodies holds its ground like a small planet in a high-velocity orbit — and for those who step inside, the journey brieﬂy changes direction.

Photo by the author

Paintings by Zurab Abkhazi. Photos by the author

Ilia Chavchavadze Memorial Complex in Tsitsamuri to Undergo Major Restoration

BY MARIAM RAZMADZE

TheIliaChavchavadzeMemorial Complex in Tsitsamuri will undergo lengthy restoration between 2025 and 2027 in the framework to modernize important sites of national signiﬁcance.

As the project outlined, the obelisk

marking Chavchavadze’s assassination site, along with his statue, will be fully rehabilitated. The historic samouravo building, currently serving administrative functions, will be transformed into a multifunctional space, featuring a library-media center and a hall for temporary exhibitions.

The museum’s memorial section is also set for full restoration, with upgrades to meet contemporary museological standards. A climate-control

system will be installed to ensure the safe preservation of valuable artifacts while both the exterior and interior walls will be renewed.

A redesigned exhibition concept is also in development to enhance the visitor experience. In addition, a new visitor center and administrative complex will be constructed, housing workspaces, archival storage, a conference room and an educational center.

Loudspeakers Pull Out of West Fest over Ban on Protest Messages

BY TEAM GT

Georgian rock band Loudspeakers has announced its withdrawal from West Fest, a music festival scheduled to take place in Kutaisi, after organizers banned performers from voicing any protest messages on stage.

The band released a statement expressing their disapproval of what they called a clear attempt to silence political expression through music. “Music has always been a tool for freedom and resistance. If we can’t speak up from the stage, then the stage is no place for us,” the group wrote.

Festival organizers responded by saying they did not want the event to become politicized, citing the current tensions

in the country. “Given the current atmosphere, we want to keep West Fest as a neutral space and avoid any political tone,” read the ofﬁcial statement from the festival’s management.

The move has sparked widespread debate on social media, with many fans and artists rallying behind Loudspeakers and criticizing the festival for what they see as censorship. Others have defended the organizers’ decision, saying music festivals should remain apolitical.

The controversy comes amid heightened political unrest in Georgia, where artists, activists, and civil society groups have been increasingly vocal against government policies.

It remains unclear whether other performers will follow Loudspeakers’ lead, but the band’s decision has added fuel to an already charged cultural moment.

Jawbone Discovery in Orozmani May Belong to Early Homo Erectus

BY TEAM GT

Archaeologists in Orozmani have discovered a human lower jawbone that is believed to belong to an early Homo erectus.

Excavations are actively underway at

the Orozmani archaeological site. It was here, in a layer dated to 1.8 million years ago, that a human tooth was ﬁrst discovered — followed by the recent unearthing of a lower jawbone. This remarkable ﬁnd was made during an expedition in Georgia’s Dmanisi Municipality, led by Giorgi Bidzinashvili. The artifact is believed to be the remains of an early representative of Homo erectus.

Homo erectus is considered a less developed human ancestor who walked on two legs and used stone tools. However, the species had a relatively small brain and likely did not possess the ability to speak or control ﬁre.

Excavations at Orozmani are being conducted in archaeological layers dating between 1.77 and 1.84 million years. It is the same site where, in 2022, the same expedition uncovered a human tooth — the ﬁrst human remain ever found in Orozmani. Prior to that, only animal fossils and stone tools used by Eurasia’s earliest inhabitants had been discovered at the site.

The jawbone. Source: FBThe excavations at Orozmani. Source: FB

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The Ilia Chavchavadze Museum in Tsitsamuri. Source: Georgia Travel

Loudspeakers. Source: FB