Russian Propaganda TV Chief Meets with Abkhaz Students, Slams USAID

Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the “Russia Today” (RT) television channel, visited the occupied region of Abkhazia on December 3. Simonyan met with the students of the de-facto Abkhaz State University. At the meeting Simonyan criticized international and non-governmental organizations, pointing in particular to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Such organizations, she said, “push their policies and values”, “changing the cultural code” of countries, depriving them of their independence. She wished the Abkhazian leadership “wisdom, courage and strength to fight them uncompromisingly.”

The renowned Kremlin propagandist noted that she likes to come to Abkhazia very much and visits at least twice a year, and reportedly spoke about an array of issues – politics, economy, the situation in the Middle East, and the war [ed. – or as referred to it, the special military operation] in Ukraine.

Earlier the USAID was criticized by Inal Ardzinba, the top diplomat of occupied Abkhazia. He warned of banning international NGOs that view Abkhazia as an occupied territory from entering the region, pointing to the USAID projects that are aimed at “countering the harmful influence of the Kremlin” and “restoring the territorial integrity of Georgia.”

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)