DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian police have detained six Ukrainian and one Georgia citizen who are members of the Donbass Battalion, a volunteer detachment of Ukraine’s National Guard. The seven are suspected of ‘illegal purchase and possession of firearms, ammunition and explosive devices’, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated. Semen Semenchenko, opposition MP to the Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and commander … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Several thousand people attended a rally in Tbilisi Sunday to support the United Opposition and its demand to dissolve parliament and hold snap parliamentary elections. The opposition repeated its claim that the presidential election was falsified and therefore illegitimate, demanded snap elections and offered the government an ‘ultimatum’: Either negotiate in ‘a different legal … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Chidaoba has been added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The traditional Georgian style of wrestling has bred dozens of Olympic and world champions in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling as well as judo. “The practice is a complex phenomenon that combines elements of wrestling, music, dance and special … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–After suffering a crushing defeat in the runoff election for president, the leaders of the UNM-led United Opposition have decided to reject the results and launch protest rallies similar to those in 2003, which culminated in the Rose Revolution. Grigol Vashadze, the UO candidate for president, and Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s exiled ex-president, have called … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The results of both the ‘pro-government’ and the ‘pro-opposition’ exit polls suggest that Salome Zurabishvili, who is backed by the ruling party, has decisively won Georgia’s last direct presidential elections. However, the opposition is not eager to accept this, claiming that the election lacks legitimacy because of manipulation by the government. Although the Central … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–American, British and Dutch ambassadors are visiting southern Georgia today to observe the runoff presidential election in the region which has a long history of manipulation and violence during elections. Ross Wilson, acting US Ambassador to Georgia, Justin McKenzie Smith, the UK Ambassador and Dutch Ambassador Jos Douma have visited the village of Kumisi … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s runoff election for president on Wednesday gained an unexpected drama after the opposition candidate’s strong showing in the first round. One day ahead of the vote, polls indicate a close race. Although the constitution adopted by Georgian parliament in 2017 deprives the president of most powers, both camps, Georgian Dream and United Opposition, … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–A regional official in the United Opposition is in a critical condition after being stabbed outside his house, five days ahead of the runoff election for president. Two persons implicated in the murder attempt are ‘associated with Georgian Dream’, the opposition claims. Georgian Dream and the authorities vehemently denied having any ties with the … Read more
GALI, DFWatch–Breakaway Abkhazia is fastening its grip on Georgian schools in Gali, local teachers told DFWatch. Sokhumi suspects that the schools in this southern district with a predominantly ethnic Georgian population are violating a relatively recent policy to only allow Russian as the instructional language up to 7th grade, and instead teaching in Georgian. “We … Read more
GALI, DFWatch–The Georgian government has unofficially given Gali residents a green light for smuggling cigarettes, likely as part of the election campaign, according to locals DFWatch spoke to. They have received explicit messages from Georgian law enforcers, they said. “Everybody knows each other here, almost all law enforcement knows who smuggle cigarettes. For the past … Read more