Georgia’s Imedi TV cites far-right figures and pro-Russia media in 4 October coverage

The prominent pro-government Georgian TV station, Imedi, has platformed a number of international far-right figures, fringe media outlets, and journalists working directly for the Russian government in its coverage of the 4 October protests in Tbilisi.

On 4 October, in parallel to the partially boycotted municipal elections, tens of thousands gathered in Tbilisi’s Liberty Square to attend an anti-government demonstration, branded previously as a ‘peaceful revolution’.

In the early evening, after hearing a call for male demonstrators to march toward the nearby presidential residence on Atoneli Street, a group of protesters attempted to storm the building. In response, police used tear gas, water cannons, and pepper spray. Protesters built barricades, and sporadic clashes around the residence continued late into the night.

The Georgian government has since called the unrest a coup attempt which it has blamed on domestic opposition they claim was aided by the EU, Western intelligence agencies, and other international organisations.

In the following days, Imedi, along with Georgia’s Public Broadcaster (GPB), cited a number of controversial and fringe figures to support their claims of external interference. Other social media posts from such figures have been cited as evidence the elections were carried out fairly.

In one article, Imedi cited a post on X by The Islander, a fringe account and Substack run by Irish nationals Gerry Nolan and Chay Bowes — the post contained a video from the Russian state-run media outlet RT. Bowes himself is a correspondent for RT and traveled to Georgia to cover the elections, subsequently releasing a ‘report’ that alleged foreign interference and support for the unrest.

Imedi appeared to mistranslate The Islander’s post, saying the X account directly ‘blamed’ former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili for the 4 October unrest.

Zourabichvili has publicly distanced herself from the attempts to storm the Presidential Palace, claiming (including in the video cited by The Islander) that Georgian Dream ‘staged’ the incursion, calling it a ‘provocation’.

Imedi cited The Islander elsewhere, repeating a post in which the account said that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze had fought to keep Georgia ‘free of Western NGO puppeteers and [George] Soros missionaries’.

The Islander’s account was created in February 2025 and has regularly posted pro-Russian content, albeit with little engagement.

Imedi also promoted another regular RT contributor, Norwegian pro-Russian analyst Glenn Diesen, but did not disclose his connections to Russia.

Other foreign figures cited by Imedi included German MP Maximillian Krah, from the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), and French essayist Laurent Ozon, who has previously been criticised for spreading a manipulated video that purported to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi calling for preemptive nuclear strikes on Russia.

Separately, the Imedi and other pro-government sources cited French ‘international observer’ Franck Pengam as saying that Georgia was ‘conducting elections better than in France’.

They did not disclose that Pengam is also an RT contributor and previously drew fire for acting as an ‘international observer’ for Russia’s 2024 presidential election.

Russia and associated media amplify claims of Western involvement in Tbilisi unrest

The allegations that foreign NGOs funded and fueled the ‘revolution’ were widely spread on social media.

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