Banned from home for 40 years: deportations are Russia’s latest move to ‘cleanse’ Ukraine A deal freezing frontlines would be unacceptable for Serhiy Serdiuk, who was taken to Georgia in handcuffs with his family after refusing to teach the Russian curriculum

My story about a newish phenomenon of deportations from the occupied areas of Ukraine. Russia tells people they are banned from “Russia” for 40/50 years, drives them 20 hours under guard to the border with Georgia and pushes them across

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Armenia warns of escalation risk after Azeri leader calls it 'fascist' Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused neighbouring Armenia of posing a "fascist" threat that needs to be destroyed, in comments that Armenia's leader called a possible attempt to justify fresh conflict.

Armenia warns of escalation risk after Azeri leader calls it 'fascist' - www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

Georgia’s President-elect has this year:

- said opposition parties are a fifth column, working for a cabal of US senators
- said US Congress has “insatiable desire to destroy” Georgia
- told opposition MPs to “fuck your mother” from parliamentary tribune

Lawmakers in Georgia elect hardline critic of West as new president Georgian lawmakers elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, as the country’s new president on Saturday, setting him up to replace a pro-Western incumbent amid major protests against the government over a halt to the country’s European Union accession talks last month.

Lawmakers in Georgia elect hardline critic of West as new president - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Georgian parliament bans face masks and fireworks at protests Georgia's parliament passed a law on Friday forbidding protesters to cover their faces and banning fireworks and lasers from demonstrations following clashes between police and civilians at pro-EU protests.

Georgian parliament bans face masks and fireworks at protests - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

France raises alarm about Georgia crackdown in rare call with tycoon Ivanishvili French President Emmanuel Macron condemned a crackdown on pro-EU protests in Georgia in a rare telephone call on Wednesday with influential Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Macron's office said.

France raises alarm about Georgia crackdown in rare call with tycoon Ivanishvili - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Hundreds of arrests and mysterious beatings as Georgia cracks down on pro-EU protests Seventy-five-year-old Marina Terishvili's teenage son Mamuka was shot dead at a nationalist rally in Georgia in 1992. Now her other son, Giorgi, has been arrested for his role in protests against perceived Russian influence in their homeland.

Hundreds of arrests and mysterious beatings as Georgia cracks down on pro-EU protests - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was part of a broader effort to reshape Europe’s security architecture to favor Moscow, including asserting spheres of influence. Despite military setbacks in Ukraine, there is little evidence that the Kremlin has abandoned these ambitions.

Bleak account of working in local papers for Newsquest, which continues to send millions of pounds a year to its US private equity owners, while producing "cheap, synthetic, low-quality fare" and using AI reporters to cover councils. westcountryvoices.co.uk/ultra-proces...

Kobakhidze confirmed it in his briefing

that guy has been building steadily less suicidal versions of this in his shed since Lockdown and you can't harsh his buzz now. His Time Has Come.

Not my footage, hasten to add

Someone showed up to the protest in Tbilisi with a … machine gun for fireworks?

I’ve covered a lot of protests in Tbilisi. But I’ve never seen this before

The barricades are getting bigger

Tbilisi right now. Thousands of protesters slowly squeezed along Rustaveli, building fires and (fairly modest) barricades as they go

Dozens arrested in pro-EU protests in Georgia, diplomats decry move to halt EU talks More than 100 serving Georgian diplomats have signed an open letter criticising the new government's suspension of EU accession talks, a diplomat said on Friday, and a protest against the move led to overnight clashes on the streets of the capital.

Over 120 serving Georgian diplomats have signed an open letter calling the government’s EU stance unconstitutional

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Protests in Georgia after government halts EU application until 2028 Georgia's ruling party said on Thursday that the country would suspend talks on European Union accession until 2028, while also refusing budgetary grants from Brussels, effectively halting its application to join the bloc, a long-standing national goal.

Protests in Georgia after government halts EU application until 2028 - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Many thousands of protesters in Tbilisi tonight after Georgian Dream halted the country’s EU application. Protests coming bank to life after a lull

Statement by Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia Georgia is a European country where traditional European values are both natural and treasured. As an ancient Christian state, Georgia has always looked to Europe as the main bastion of Christianity. ...

Georgian Dream’s full statement, in translation:

www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/1...

Georgia says it will not enter EU membership talks until 2028, in snub to Brussels Georgia's ruling party said on Thursday that the country would suspend talks on European Union accession until 2028, while also refusing budgetary grants from Brussels, after what it said was a "cascade of insults" by the bloc.

Georgia effectively halts its own EU application: a historic day for this country

Georgia says it will not enter EU membership talks until 2028, in snub to Brussels - www.reuters.com/world/europe...

This looks a lot like Georgia renouncing the EU accession goal written into its constitution

Georgian ruling party nominates hardline ex-soccer player for president Georgia's ruling party on Wednesday nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former parliamentary deputy and professional soccer player, as its candidate for president in an election due to be held on Dec. 14.

Georgia’s likely next president: a conspiratorial anti-Western ex-footballer who briefly played striker for Man City in the mid 1990s.

Accused in parliament last year of being pro-Russian, he told opposition MPs: “I fucked (your) mother”

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Voting patterns of British Romanians are very interesting. Overall 50% voted for Georgescu, the far-right anti-NATO candidate, but it varies a lot by polling station.

Georgian ruling party defies protests, boycott to re-open parliament after disputed election Lawmakers from Georgia's ruling party opened the first session of parliament on Monday after last month's disputed election, defying protesters outside and a boycott by opposition parties who say the vote was illegitimate.

Georgian ruling party defies protesters, boycott to reopen parliament after disputed election

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Путин подписал закон о списании долгов по просроченным кредитам участников СВО Подробнее на сайте

Putin just signed a law allowing almost $100k in debt arrears forgiveness to anyone signing up to fight in Ukraine. Highly targeted recruitment pitch in a deeply indebted society.

www.kommersant.ru/doc/7326190?...

Great story — but it’s crazy to me that these kind of docs are so much harder to obtain in the UK than in Russia(!!) where they’re almost always freely accessible online

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

wow, in the middle of her press briefing just now, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova got a phone call from someone instructing her not to comment on today’s ICBM allegations.

Ukraine Claims Russia Fired ICBM for First Time in War - The Moscow Times Ukraine’s military claimed early Thursday that Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time during the war.

‼️ Ukraine’s military did not say whether its air defense systems downed the reported ICBM, and there was no immediate comment from Moscow.