Sunday, December 14, 2025

DFWatch staff

Georgia charges suspect’s parents in massive bitcoin laundering case

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TBILISI, September 30 – Georgia’s Prosecutor’s Office has launched criminal proceedings against the parents of Giorgi Bachiashvili, a man already convicted in a high-profile cryptocurrency fraud case. Prosecutors say that between 2015 and 2017, Bachiashvili misappropriated nearly 9 bitcoins (8,986.8675 BTC) that legally belonged to billionaire and ruling party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili; an amount corresponding … Read more

Georgia confronts Russia over detentions near boundary line

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TBILISI, September 29 – Georgian and Russian officials are set to meet in Ergneti today as part of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism, regular field meetings used to solve practical problems along the boundary line with South Ossetia. Irakli Antadze, deputy director of the State Security Service’s information and analysis department, told reporters the … Read more

Former diplomat slams Georgian Dream’s ‘hollow shell’ diplomacy

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TBILISI, September 29 – Georgia heads into October’s local elections amid sharp criticism of its foreign policy, with former diplomat Nata Sabanadze warning that the country has become a “hollow shell” on the international stage. Sabanadze, Georgia’s former ambassador to the European Union and now a senior fellow at Chatham House, told Interpressnews that President … Read more

Moldova’s ruling party claims slim majority in parliamentary vote

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TBILISI, September 29 – Moldova’s pro-European ruling party has emerged as the frontrunner in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to near-final results released by the Central Election Commission. With 99.78% of ballots counted, the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) secured 50.14% of the vote, placing it just over the threshold for an outright majority in … Read more

Georgia court orders Saakashvili to repay USD 3.3m to state

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TBILISI, September 29 – A court in Tbilisi has ruled that former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili and a former top security official must repay nearly 9 million lari (about USD 3.3 million) to the state budget over the alleged misuse of public funds. The decision, issued by Judge Aleksandre Gzirishvili of Tbilisi City Court, sided … Read more

Electric car imports to Georgia surge 83% in 2025

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TBILISI, September 28 – Electric cars are pouring into Georgia at record levels. According to fresh data from the National Statistics Office, imports of electric vehicles jumped nearly 83% in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Between January and August, Georgia brought in 5,216 electric cars worth $88.7 … Read more

Armenians in Georgia honor ancient feast of Varaga

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TBILISI, September 28 – Today the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia is observing the Feast of the Holy Cross at Varaga, a major religious holiday dating back to the 7th century. The State Agency for Religious Issues announced its congratulations to the Armenian Church, its Georgian dioceses, and worshippers across the country. According to the … Read more

Georgia moves to outlaw opposition party that ruled for nearly a decade

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TBILISI, September 27 – Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream has announced it will ask the country’s Constitutional Court to outlaw the opposition United National Movement (UNM), the party founded by former president Mikheil Saakashvili. The move follows the conclusion of a six-month inquiry by a parliamentary investigative commission led by Vice Speaker Tea Tsulukiani. She … Read more

Georgian president attends Trump-hosted UN gala dinner in New York

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TBILISI, September 27 – Georgian president Mikheil Kavelashvili attended a formal dinner in New York hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The event was held in honor of the heads of delegations participating in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Kavelashvili shared a photo with the U.S. … Read more

Flooding hits eastern Georgia villages

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TBILISI, September 27 – Torrential rains have triggered flooding in several villages of Georgia’s Lagodekhi municipality, leaving homes, farmland, and roads under water. The worst-hit areas are Verkhvisminda and Kabali, where the strong downpours caused the Areshi and Kabali rivers to overflow. First floors of houses, courtyards, and agricultural plots have been inundated, disrupting daily … Read more