TBILISI, May 2 – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has shut down Ekho Kavkaza (“Echo of the Caucasus”), a Russian-language project covering Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The project ended its work on Friday, May 1, according to a statement cited by Interpressnews.
Ekho Kavkaza was the Russian-language section of RFE/RL’s Georgian Service. It served audiences in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two breakaway regions that Georgia and most of the international community consider part of Georgia, but which have operated outside Tbilisi’s control since the conflicts of the early 1990s.
RFE/RL said the closure comes as the organization has begun reforms to deal with “future challenges.”
The Georgian Service will continue distributing programs in Georgian, the statement said.
A new Russian-language programming section will cover important developments in the breakaway regions for Russian-speaking audiences.
The closure follows earlier cuts at RFE/RL. On March 31, the broadcaster closed services working in Bulgaria, Romania and North Macedonia.
RFE/RL, known in Georgian as Radio Tavisupleba, is a U.S. government funded media organization that broadcasts in several languages across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and other regions.
