Researcher | Europe, Eurasia & Caucasus | Seen in @ForeignPolicy.com, @France24.com, @cepa.org and @bylinetimes.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lxumter62c2c23 arrests and counting. Protests reignited after the sentencing of political prisoners. Georgian Dream once again seeks to sow fear ahead of the October 7 municipal elections [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Sep 2025 17:20 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxumter62c2chttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lx3qolnsns2aFew callings demand as much courage, resilience and patriotism as journalism in 🇬🇪 Facing relentless political and financial pressure, they continue to confront tyranny and corruption I invite you to stand with them and support their fundraiser “Every voice counts. And every silence too.” — Sartre [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Aug 2025 19:52 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lx3qolnsns2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lv777tl7mc2uA gripping exposé by @willneal.bsky.social unravels the billion-dollar legal intrigue linking oligarchs, offshore financiers, and sanctioned assets — all playing out in UK courts. A must-read for anyone curious about lawfare, kleptocracy, and shadow geopolitics [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jul 2025 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv777tl7mc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lqzjdfaee22xExcited to share my latest article published in @meduza.io: "There are no angels in politics — especially not in Georgia." At the heart of Georgia’s volatile political crossroads stands a figure as complex as the nation itself — President Salome Zourabichvili. https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/06/06/georgia-s-democratic-reckoning?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKxI61leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhNie4DLnTU9OCORDLsNa8y8F-DIk0g9CmTTA3jxcfGPDS421AThkjOUFi2d_aem_gixq4AhfY7Ta0Mh746Gv0g07 Jun 2025 14:04 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqzjdfaee22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lj6ewmnemc2s“You are being influenced beyond the level of choice and reason.” — Aldous Huxley, The Mike Wallace Interview (1958) Honored to speak at the Black Sea Regional Disinformation Conference in Bucharest, Romania, where we discussed Russian disinformation in Georgia.27 Feb 2025 17:07 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lj6ewmnemc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lhyqurflo22lWithout exaggeration, the outcome of the ongoing political struggle will indeed shape the country’s trajectory for years. The two opposing sides (🇷🇺 government-aligned autocrats vs. 🇪🇺 pro-democracy forces) can only persist at the expense of the other. Well put by Mariam [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Feb 2025 17:59 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhyqurflo22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lhwbo4z7f22kTorture, abuse, and threats of rape—over 50 protesters jailed on fabricated, politically motivated charges. Saba S. recounts his ordeal with the Georgian regime’s enforcers [contains quote post or other embedded content]11 Feb 2025 18:22 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhwbo4z7f22khttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lhwatp4g7k2k104 years ago, Soviet 🇷🇺 invaded Georgia, igniting one of the bloodiest chapters of 20th c. 🇬🇪 history. After staging a “people’s uprising” from Armenia, they launched a four-front assault to “support the workers’ struggle.” Stalin vowed to “crush the hydra of nationalism,” killing tens of thousands11 Feb 2025 18:07 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhwatp4g7k2khttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lhlxwrh5mk2vGreat and insightful piece by @faustinevincent.bsky.social for @lemonde.fr, featuring brief comments from me. Deeply grateful to the dedicated journalists covering Georgia in these challenging times. Read more at the link below https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/02/04/in-georgia-pro-european-demonstrators-take-to-the-streets-every-day-despite-growing-repression_6737746_4.html07 Feb 2025 16:01 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhlxwrh5mk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/gugachomakhidze.bsky.social/post/3lh7seivxqc2o🇬🇪 police units swarmed peaceful protesters, launching an unprovoked crackdown. Officers isolated demonstrators, brutally dragging them away in waves—beating them before shoving them in vans. Among those arrested are opposition leaders Nika Melia, Gigi Ugulava and over a dozen more.02 Feb 2025 19:50 +0000at://did:plc:4ed7hsvbno6fsruoblwadpmb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lh7seivxqc2o