Friday, December 5, 2025

Russia jails eight for life over Crimea bridge explosion

TBILISI, November 26 – Russia has handed life sentences to eight men over the 2022 explosion on the Crimea bridge, Russian media reported on Thursday. According to the reports, a military court in Rostov-on-Don found the group guilty of terrorism and of illegally purchasing and transporting explosive devices. All eight received life in prison. The … Read more

UK court again rules for Ivanishvili in Credit Suisse case

TBILISI, November 25 – Georgia’s former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has won another round in his long-running legal fight with a Credit Suisse subsidiary, as a UK court ordered the bank to compensate him for losses linked to a major fraud case. But although the United Kingdom’s Judicial Committee of the Privy Council upheld earlier … Read more

U.S. congressman accuses Georgia of betraying American interests

TBILISI, November 6 – Tensions grew between Georgia’s government and U.S. lawmakers this week as a senior member of Congress accused Georgia’s ruling party of undermining American security interests by handing control of its key Black Sea port to Chinese state-linked companies and persecuting Western investors. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson accused Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream … Read more

U.S. sanctions hit Lukoil Georgia as temporary waiver expires next month

TBILISI, October 24 – The U.S. Treasury has clarified that transactions with sanctioned Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft, including their international subsidiaries, will only be permitted until November 21, 2025, under a temporary exemption covering fuel purchases and essential services, BPN reports. The clarification follows Washington’s decision earlier this week to sanction Russia’s two … Read more

Georgia vows strict compliance after U.S. targets Russia’s top oil companies

TBILISI, October 23 – Georgia’s banks will play by the rules after Washington slapped sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, and 34 of their subsidiaries. Natia Turnava, president of Georgia’s National Bank, said on Thursday that the country’s lenders “fully observe international sanctions” and that in this case “we will act … Read more

Confusion over Russian oil shipment to Georgia’s Kulevi terminal

TBILISI, October 22 – Conflicting reports have emerged after Reuters claimed that a tanker carrying Russian crude arrived in Georgia’s Black Sea port of Kulevi for processing, potentially putting the country in a politically sensitive position amid Western sanctions on Moscow. According to Reuters, the tanker Kaiseri delivered more than 105,000 metric tons of “Siberian … Read more

Diplomatic rift developing between Georgia and OSCE chair Valtonen

TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia’s diplomatic rift with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) widened on Thursday after the government fined Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister and current OSCE chair, for joining an anti-government protest during her recent visit to Tbilisi. The Interior Ministry confirmed to Interpressnews that Valtonen was fined 5,000 … Read more

Georgia outranks US, UK, France and Germany in new democracy index

TBILISI, October 3 – Georgia has been ranked ahead of several of the world’s most influential economies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, in a new global index measuring commitment to democratic transformation. The ranking, published within the Coherence Report produced by the Spain-based research network Common Future, is … Read more

Levan Vasadze says UK sanctions triggered banking freeze for him and his family in Georgia

TBILISI, October 3 – Georgian businessman and public figure Levan Vasadze has released an open letter, dated 20 September, claiming that British sanctions announced on 19 September led Georgian banks to restrict services not only to himself, but also to members of his family – and a wine company owned by his spouse, BPN reports. … Read more

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

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