The Daily Beat: 16 February

On the 80th consecutive day of anti-regime protests, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tbilisi, chanting “No to Russian dictatorship.” They marched from various locations towards the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue. In front of the parliament, activists read aloud letters from individuals who have been jailed in connection with the protests. This was the first of 4 large protest rallies planned to be held in the coming weeks. For more updates on the Georgian resistance, follow our live blog.

President Salome Zurabishvili attended the Munich Security Conference, an annual event that brings together world leaders to discuss pressing security issues. While in Munich, President Zurabishvili met with the Presidents of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, and Moldova, as well as the prime minister of Luxemburg, the NATO Secretary General, and foreign ministers of France and Ukraine. To read more on the President’s sideline meetings in Munich, tap our piece.

Expensive works of art have been brought into Georgia, indicating that they may have been imported by the country’s billionaire, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is believed to have benefited from an “Offshore Law” enacted last year. This law has made it easier for offshore assets to enter the country. If it is true that Ivanishvili imported artworks from offshore assets, the “Offshore Law” would save him about USD 85.5 million in VAT that he would otherwise owe to the state budget.

Two minors died on February 15 in Batumi after falling into a water ditch on the territory of the “Dream Town” social project, which was not fenced off despite planned construction works. The two children, aged four and five according to local media, were taken to hospital after hours of search but could not be saved. The residents say safety standards have been ignored and blame the government, which builds residential blocks in the area.

The opposition-leaning Mtavari TV has been off the air since the morning of February 15, accusing one of its co-founders, Zaza Okuashvili, of trying to shut down one of the country’s most critical stations. The Mtavari channel has been accusing its co-founder, Zaza Okuashvili, of trying to shut it down since last December and of serving the objectives of the Georgian Dream party.

Tea Tsulukiani, the former Minister of Justice and Culture, has been elected chairperson of the parliamentary temporary investigative commission responsible for investigating wrongdoings during the Saakashvili era. The GD parliamentary commission has been set up to investigate the alleged crimes of the previous United National Movement government.

On February 15, Abkhazia held the so-called early presidential elections, but it seems that the election did not yield a new leader on the first attempt. According to preliminary results announced by the “election administration,” the Moscow-backed candidate Badra Gunba received 46% of the votes, while his opponent, Adgur Ardzinba—one of the leaders of the protests in November—garnered 37%. A second round of voting is scheduled to take place in two weeks.

The Foreign Ministry condemned the so-called presidential elections in the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia and called on the international community to react. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also condemned “presidential elections” in Russia-occupied Abkhazia.  Abkhazia’s de facto parliament called for early elections after Aslan Bzhania stepped down as de facto president following protests in the occupied region last November.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed to Civil.ge that another Georgian fighter, Levan Parkaia, was killed in fighting in Ukraine, the Georgian Foreign Ministry confirmed to Civil.ge on February 15. His death was first reported by Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change. The latest casualty brings to 66 the unofficial number of Georgian citizens who have died fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.

The State Security Service reported the illegal detention of two Georgian citizens by the Russian occupying forces near the Tskhinvali occupation line. The Security Service claims that upon receiving information about the incident, it activated the “hotline” operated by the EU Monitoring Mission and informed the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) and international partners.

The Data of the Day

The National Statistics Office (Geostat) published express data on Georgia’s external merchandise trade for January 2025, indicating a 39.2% year-on-year increase (excluding non-declared trade), reaching USD 2 006.3 million. According to Geostat, exports rose by 19.3% to USD 403.8 million, while imports surged by 45.4% to USD 1 602.5 million. As a result, the trade deficit widened to USD 1,198.7 billion, accounting for 59.7% of total trade turnover.