Georgia
Georgian comms regulator moves to block funding from TV Formula
It is the first time a public warning has been issued to Georgian media related to foreign funding.
News Stories
Today, 10 October 2025
Today, 10 October 2025
Daily Brief
Friday, 10 October 2025
Armenia * Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Tajikistan on a working visit. At Dushanbe International Airport, he was welcomed by Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, according to Armenia’s government press service. On 10 October, Pashinyan will take part in the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Dushanbe. Azerbaijan * Deputy Defence Minister and Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Namig Islamzadeh has met with
Georgia
Outrage as 71-year-old Georgian paediatrician among latest detainees following 4 October protests
The total number of detainees following 4 October has now exceeded 40.
Yesterday, 09 October 2025
Ingushetia
Two natives of Ingushetia to stand trial over killing of Russian General Kirillov
According to investigators, Ramazan Padiev and Batukhan Tochiev rented a flat for the direct perpetrator of the killing.
Georgia
Georgian poet Zviad Ratiani sentenced to two years for ‘slapping a police officer’
Like journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli, the court downgraded Ratiani’s charges in a last minute decision ahead of sentencing.
Azerbaijan Airlines Crash
Putin admits fault for deadly plane crash to Aliyev in awkward press conference
Putin nonetheless partially cast the blame on Ukrainian drones entering Russian airspace at the time.
Georgia
Polish border guards hospitalised after brutal assault in Tbilisi
The officers have been hospitalised with head injuries and require surgery.
Chechnya
New district named after Putin opens in Grozny
Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak attended the district’s opening ceremony.
Georgia
Opinion | 4 October: an unsuccessful uprising or a trap for Georgian democracy?
Whatever the truth of the 4 October events, they have given Georgian Dream the perfect pretext to finish its repressive crackdown.
OC Insider
Georgia’s 4 October is over — but is it really?
My previous OC Insider was titled ‘Georgia’s uncertain 4 October’. That date has now passed, yet the ambiguity has not faded — neither the ambiguity tied to the day itself, nor, even more so, the ambiguity that has haunted the future of the Georgian state since long before 4 October. For those who haven’t been closely following events, here’s a brief recap: on 4 October, Georgia held municipal elections that were boycotted by much of the opposition, including the two largest opposition groups.
Georgia
Kobakhidze compares EU bureaucracy to Nazi propagandist Goebbels
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze made the comment in response to a question about the OSCE’s reactions to arrests connected to the 4 October unrest.
Armenia
Armenia softens income declaration regulations after public backlash
Reforms introducing a mandatory universal income declaration system were set to take effect from 1 November.
Ingushetia
Ingush physicist sentenced to 18 years in prison over $15 donation to pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters
Ruslan Shadiev was found guilty of treason for transferring money to organisations banned in Russia.
Georgia
Georgian authorities detain 13 more in connection to 4 October
The total number of detainees following Saturday’s events has reached 36.
Daily Brief
Thursday, 9 October 2025
Regional * Giorgi Kinoiani, a Georgian citizen wanted by Russia for his time serving as a volunteer fighter in Ukraine, has been released from custody in Armenia after spending 36 days in detention. Kinoiani was sought by Russia on charges of mercenary activity based on a verdict issued by a court in Russian-occupied Donetsk, Ukraine. Kinoiani was initially detained on 3 September at the Armenian–Georgian border and remanded into custody for 40 days by Judge Lusine Sephpkhanyan. * The Defence
Armenia
Armenia releases Georgian volunteer fighter wanted by Russia
Armenia denied a request from a court in Russian-occupied Ukraine to extradite Georgian volunteer fighter Giorgi Kinoiani.
Georgia
Dancing fabrics and contested poetry: inside Georgia’s resilient animation scene
Georgian artists continue to demonstrate the medium’s capacity to spread joy, even amidst difficult political circumstances.
Wednesday, 08 October 2025
2026 Armenian parliamentary elections
Kocharyan returns to politics, claims Pashinyan has ‘zero chance’ of re-election
Kocharyan also said it was ‘fortunate’ that Pashinyan ‘was not born a girl; he would have been a national disgrace’.
Georgia
EU moves forward with rule change to ease suspension of visa-free travel
The EU has repeatedly warned the Georgian government that visa-free travel to the bloc is at risk due to the country’s democratic backsliding.
Chechnya
Adam Kadyrov inaugurates sports complex in Chechnya named after himself
The ceremony took place in the village of Gvardeiskoe, attended by UFC champion Khamzat Chimaev.
Georgia
Former Georgian prison director found dead in apparent suicide
Davit Gogoberishvili had resigned after Giorgi Bachiashvili, a critic of Bidzina Ivanishvili, was beaten in his cell at the prison he oversaw.
Abzas Media
Opinion | By imprisoning Abzas Media, Azerbaijan has turned its prisons into newsrooms
A new form of prison journalism has emerged — one with a uniquely feminist lens.
Georgia
US confirms Georgian Ambassador was summoned, contradicting Kobakhidze
Earlier, Georgia’s security chief Mamuka Mdinaradze claimed the US was funding ‘radicals’ in Georgia through its embassy in Thailand.
Armenia–Azerbaijan Relations
Aliyev again prompts Armenian criticism for use of term ‘Zangezur corridor’
Armenia views the term as containing territorial claims against it.
Environment
Local fined after Armenia’s Shaki Waterfall dyed pink for gender reveal
The resident found guilty was fined $200.
Daily Brief
Wednesday, 8 October 2025
Regional * At the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organisation of Turkic States in Gabala, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again referred to the Trump Route as the ‘Zangezur corridor’. Aliyev called the project a major new transport route, while Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov repeated Baku’s demand that Armenia amend its constitution as a prerequisite for a peace treaty. In response, Yerevan again decried the use of the term, saying it constituted claims on its territo
Georgia
Detentions continue after 4 October protests as state vows to clamp down on daily demonstrations
The official number of detainees following Saturday’s events has reached 23.
Tuesday, 07 October 2025
Georgia
Georgia’s Imedi TV cites far-right figures and pro-Russia media in 4 October coverage
Among those the prominent pro-government Georgian media outlet Imedi cited was Glenn Diesen, a contributor to the Russian state-run agency RT.
Chechnya
Russian propagandists criticise Kadyrov for promoting proposal to feature Chechnya on new ruble banknote
Russian nationalists reject the possibility of a Chechen symbol appearing on the new ₽500 banknote design.
Reviews
Review | Tonratun — A dispatch from a communal Armenian bakery
Armenian director Inna Mkhitaran’s debut documentary opens up the private, feminine world of the village bakery.
