The Daily Beat: 25 February
As the nationwide protests continue on the 90th consecutive day, they take on added significance, as February 25 marks the 104th anniversary of the Soviet invasion that led to the fall of the Democratic Republic of Georgia on this day in 1921. On this pivotal day in Georgian history, protests continue to intensify, with demonstrators standing firm in their fight to preserve Georgian democracy and uphold the nation’s pro-European Union stance. For more updates, read our live blog: Resistance 2025.
President Salome Zurabishvili addressed a rally on Rustaveli Avenue, urging Georgians not to allow a repetition of the events of 1921 when Georgia was occupied by communist Russia. She reflected on the historical events from 104 years ago when the Russian Red Army invaded and captured Tbilisi. In her public speech Zurabishvili also drew a comparison between the Russian disinformation campaigns of the past and those of today, noting that Russia harbors aggressive intentions and engages in warfare while falsely presenting itself as a peaceful actor.
Snowstorms have battered western Georgia since February 20, leaving several villages in the highlands of western Georgia, especially in the Guria region, without gas, electricity and water. Heavy snowfall has reportedly claimed the lives of several local residents. Government agencies issued severe weather warnings last Friday, February 21, but failed to mobilize emergency assistance, sparking public outcry.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream (GD) Prime Minister, said the EU ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, is “complicit in violence” and “continues to incite violence” by not condemning what Kobakhidze described as “violent rallies” in Georgia. He accused the EU Ambassador of attempting to bring the ‘collective UNM” to power. Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also condemnedHerczyński’s harmful actions and recommended he re-read the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Recently, the Secretary General of the Georgian Dream party and Tbilisi Mayor, Kakha Kaladze, also criticized Western diplomats, stating, “There is no point in their presence in Georgia because they are simply a political side and represent the ‘deep state’ in our country.” Kaladze asserted that their actions and statements disqualify them from being referred to as diplomats.
The Georgian Dream party proposed two legislative amendments to the Law on Broadcasting: the first would ban foreign funding of audio-visual broadcasters, while the second would end self-regulation by giving sweeping powers to the Communication Commission (ComCom) to control broadcasting content. One of the leaders of the Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, earlier claimed that the amendments would be based “on the British model.”
On February 24, the ruling Georgian Dream party, along with the pseudo-opposition People’s Power, introduced a legislative package aimed at removing the terms “gender” and “gender identity” from Georgian law. The bill proposes changing the “Law on Gender Equality” to the “Law on Equality between Women and Men,” arguing that gender is an “artificially created term” and suggesting that discussions on this issue have intensified since Donald Trump’s presidency.