The Georgian-language news service of Poland’s Public Broadcaster (TVP) has begun its operations. In its first news broadcast, which aired on Monday, the service said it would cover ‘what matters’, speak about European values, and expose Russian disinformation.
VT Sakartvelo News is a project of TVP’s International Broadcasting Centre, developed under the broader media initiative Vot Tak. The latter produces news content in multiple languages, including Russian, Romanian, Armenian, and, now, Georgian.
‘We resist propaganda and offer you objective information’, the news service stated, noting that it will cover both events inside Georgia and international developments that affect the country.
The news programme will air on Belsat TV, a TVP subsidiary, from Monday to Friday, while also streaming on YouTube or Facebook. It will be hosted by Georgian journalists Natia Koberidze, Sophio Natsvlishvili, and Rati Mujiri.
‘During the period of challenges that Georgia is going through now, it is very important that another window is opening through which, under the Polish public broadcaster, we will have the opportunity to deliver free and balanced speech’, Mujiri noted.
For her part, Koberidze noted that the project will be a ‘unique voice for Georgia from the EU’.
‘Building yet another bridge is fundamentally important, especially at a time when relations between Georgia and the EU are in a rather difficult phase’, she added.
Natsvlishvili, who hosted the first episode of the programme on Monday, added that the project ‘will give viewers a new perspective on events in Georgia, bring them closer to a European perspective and indicate the paths that will bring us closer together’.
Against the backdrop of democratic backsliding in Georgia, the ruling Georgian Dream party’s relations with Poland and other traditional Western partners remains strained. In April 2025, Warsaw announced sanctions against eight representatives of Georgian law enforcement agencies ‘responsible for the violence against protesters’.
Georgian pro-government media reacts
Georgia’s largest pro-government TV Imedi reacted critically to the launch of VT Sakartvelo News. It placed particular emphasis on Koberidze, whom it described as a ‘propagandist of the regime’ of Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, and as the ‘author of simulated Qronika’ — an incident during which Imedi, when it was controlled by Saakashvili loyalists, aired a fictional scenario in which Russia launched a renewed war against Georgia.
Although Koberidze, who introduced the segment, noted that the report was fictional, no on-screen disclaimer appeared during the broadcast, leading some viewers who tuned in late to perceive it as real, causing panic across Georgia.
Koberidze later stated that she had not been directly involved in producing the episode and was unaware that it would air without a visible disclaimer. She further noted that she was not opposed to the idea of imitating threats, but criticised the format of the episode, saying the programme should have included a disclaimer.
A few months after the controversial episode, Koberidze said she was dismissed from the TV channel without explanation. Later she joined the short-lived Russian-language channel PIK TV, which was part of the Georgian Public Broadcaster.
As for Imedi, after the ruling party Georgian Dream came to power in 2012, the channel was returned to its previous owners and its editorial policy gradually shifted. Over time, Imedi has become Georgian Dream’s most influential mouthpiece.
