DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, September 15 – The lawyer of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder and honorary chairman of Georgia’s ruling party, has accused foreign journalists of trying to discredit his client while covering an ongoing case involving alleged misappropriation of Ivanishvili’s bitcoin holdings. In a statement released this week, lawyer Temo Tsikvadze said he had been contacted … Read more
TBILISI, September 15 – Giga Bokeria, leader of the small opposition party Federalists, blasted the detention of Elena Khoshtaria, the head of the opposition group Droa. Bokeria described the move as “another shameless example of double standards” by what he called the “unconstitutional regime of Bidzina Ivanishvili,” the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream … Read more
TBILISI, September 15 – A jailed leader of Georgia’s largest opposition party has accused the country’s most powerful political figures of locking him up to silence dissent, calling his arrest proof that the government fears its own people. Levan Khabeishvili, a senior figure in the United National Movement (UNM), made the comments in a handwritten … Read more
TBILISI, September 14 – Georgia’s opposition parties gathered in Tbilisi on September 13 for a rally that passed peacefully, drawing between several hundred and up to 3,000 people, according to different estimates. The demonstration, which started at Tbilisi State University and ended in front of parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, was joined by ex-President Salome Zurabishvili, … Read more
TBILISI, September 13 – Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the political council of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), has been formally charged in Georgia with promising bribes to officials and publicly calling for the overthrow of state authority. His arrest has triggered sharp debate, with the opposition accusing the government of fear mongering ahead of … Read more
TBILISI, September 12 – Georgia’s distributors are pushing back against new rules that limit the movement of large trucks in Tbilisi during peak hours, warning that the measures are driving up costs and complicating deliveries. Lasha Rijamadze, president of the country’s Association of Distributors, told Business Press News that companies face major difficulties since the … Read more
TBILISI, September 12 – Georgia’s tourism industry is seeing more visitors this year, but guides warn the change in who is coming could hurt the country’s earnings. “There are tourists in terms of numbers, but the share of solvent tourists has sharply decreased,” guide Aleksandre Giorgidze told BPN. He said arrivals from Asia have grown, … Read more
TBILISI, September 12 – Sales of Georgian sparkling wine in Russia fell in the first seven months of 2025, according to figures published by the Russian business daily Kommersant. Between January and July, Russia imported 28,800 decaliters of sparkling wine from Georgia, totaling about 288,000 liters. That was a 3.8 percent drop compared to the … Read more
TBILISI, September 12 – Wizz Air says it will close its base in Vienna, ending all flights from the Austrian capital by March 2026. The Hungarian budget carrier announced that the shutdown will happen in two stages. From October 26, 2025, two aircraft will be withdrawn and flights to Bilbao and London Gatwick will stop. … Read more
TBILISI, September 12 – Georgia’s State Security Service carried out dramatic arrests in the Black Sea city of Batumi, detaining the leader of the opposition National Movement (UNM), Levan Khabeishvili, along with party member Murtaz Zodelava. Former defense minister Juansher Burchuladze, a close ally of ex-prime minister Irakli Garibashvili, was also taken into custody. The … Read more