The Caucasus Digest

Robin Fabbro and Mariam Nikuradze break down the 7–8 March protests against the Georgian foreign agent law, from the moments leading up to the massive demonstrations to Georgian Dream's announcement to drop the controversial bill. Tens of thousands gathered outside parliament to protest the law but were dispersed by riot police equipped with teargas and pepper spray and backed by water cannons and...

Chai Khana's Executive Director, Lika Antadze, talks about her outlet's decision to boycott the foreign agent bill in Georgia, and what the bill could mean for independent media and civil society organisations. Both Chai Khana , OC Media, and over 60 other media organisations signed a petition vowing to disobey the draft law if it is adopted by parliament. Read more: OC Media joins over 60 media g...

OC Media's staff get together to discuss the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the South Caucasus. Mariam Nikuradze talks about how the war became a catalyst for the growing rift between Georgia and the west. Read more: Georgian Dream hits out at 'spies' and Western-funded 'extremism' Georgia's (in)human rights strategy Russia's top diplomat compliments Georgia for not 'irritating' them An...

Mariam Nikuradze discusses the foreign agent bill that is about to be submitted to parliament by the People's Power — a group of MPs who formally left the ruling Georgian Dream party to 'speak openly' about a supposed Western conspiracy to drag Georgia into war with Russia. She talks about what the bill could mean for OC Media and other media and civil society organisations. Read more: Foreign age...

Ani Avetisyan discusses how the South Caucasus responded to the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. She breaks down how Armenia's offer of assistance to Turkey could reflect on the normalisation of relations between the two countries. Read more: The South Caucasus sends aid following deadly quake Tata Shoshiashvili discusses reactions to the Georgian Parliament's newly introduced 'co...

Mariam Nikuradze talks about Levan Khabeishvili's election as the United National Movement's chair and recent statements about pulling the party out of the parliament in exchange for Mikheil Saakashvili's release from prison. Read more: New UNM leader vows party will leave parliament if Saakashvili is freed Ismi Aghayev discusses the fatal 27 January attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran and...

Loujaine Laamal, an MA student in geopolitics at the French Institute of Geopolitics, discusses Ramzan Kadyrov's politicisation of sports in Chechnya, and his attempts to construct a national identity focused on sportsmanship to help secure the future of his regime. Read more: Analysis | How Kadyrov uses 'the Path of Akhmat' in sports to cement his rule in Chechnya Ismi Aghayev talks about impriso...

More than a month into the closure of the Lachin corridor, Tigran Grigoryan, a political analyst and the head of the Regional Centre for Democracy and Security, phones in to discuss rumours surrounding the potential resignation of State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. Read more: Nagorno-Karabakh reports gas cut for second time since start of blockade Mariam Nikuradze breaks down the extremist far-right...

Former senior editor Peter Liakhov joins Robin Fabbro and Mariam Nikuradze to discuss the OC Media team's predictions for the past year and how they had panned out. The three share their own hot takes for 2023. Read the full list of predictions made by OC Media's staff members here: What can the Caucasus expect in 2022? Become a supporter at oc-media.org/support_us , or on Patreon .

Tata Shoshiashvili discusses the recently released security footage of imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in his hospital room. Georgian authorities released the footage citing 'high public interest' and accused Saakashvili of feigning his illness. Read more: Government releases hospital footage of Saakashvili, citing 'high public interest' Marut Vanyan, a freelance journalis...

Arman Grigoryan, an associate professor of International Relations at Lehigh University, discusses the closure of the Lachin corridor and its implications for Nagorno-Karabakh. Read more: Lachin corridor blocked by Azerbaijani 'eco-activists' Mariam Nikuradze discusses the latest updates on Georgia–Ukraine relations, as the ruling Georgian Dream party threatens to strip Georgian volunteers in Ukra...

Keti Bakhtadze, a strategic litigation lawyer at WISG, discusses last week's European Court of Human Rights ruling that deemed Georgia's gender recognition legislation to be vague. The complaint was submitted to the court by three Georgian trans men to whom the Georgian authorities had refused to issue documents with gender markers matching their gender identities. Read more: Three Georgian trans...

Dustin Gilbreath, a non-resident senior fellow at CRRC Georgia, talks about the prevalence of HIV in Georgia and the stigma surrounding it, and a CRRC Georgia study that suggested that incentivising people to test for HIV and making tests more accessible can encourage more young people to self-test. Read more: Datablog | Nudging Georgians to self-test for HIV Bahruz Samadov, a researcher at Charle...

After Kenya blocked the uprooting and transportation of eight baobab trees to former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili's Shekvetili Dendrological Park, the Guardian's East Africa global development correspondent Caroline Kimeu talks about the significance of the trees and how Ivanishvili's contractor secured the license to uproot them. Read more: Kenya blocks export of baobab trees to Ge...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Samir Sultanov, the general secretary of the Azerbaijani Democracy 1918 movement, talks about the arrest of several members of his group and labour movements in Azerbaijan. Read more: Azerbaijani pro-democracy activist arrested Chair of Azerbaijani democracy group given prison sentence following anti-government posts Voices of dissent: Azerbaijan reac...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Tor, a fighter from the Chechen Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion fighting in Ukraine, phones in to talk about the significance of Ukraine's recognition of Ichkeria as an independent state temporarily occupied by Russia. Read more: Ukrainian Parliament recognises independence of Chechnya Yerevan-based political analyst talks about Nagorno-Karabakh's internal...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Anna Edgar talks to Svetlana Anokhina, a women's right activist from Daghestan, about the recent escape of four young Daghestani women from a life of domestic abuse in their home republic. Read more: Four Daghestani women flee to Georgia citing domestic abuse Ani Avetisyan talks about the tripartite meeting between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Anna Edgar talks to Pink Armenia's communications director, Mamikon Hovsepyan, about the suicide of a young queer couple in Armenia. Mariam Nikuradze talks about the high-profile domestic abuse case that saw star Georgian tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili acquitted of charges of violence against his wife and the precedent it might set for similar cas...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Robin Fabbro talks to Yerevan-based political analyst Tigran Grigoryan about Armenia's relations with the CSTO after the two-day war with Azerbaijan in September. Read more: Opinion | Russia's shifting interests are leaving Armenia out to dry Opinion | Armenia's old allies have failed it, new ones have yet to appear Tata Shoshiashvili talks about an a...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Robin Fabbro talks to Bulat Khalilov and Timur Kodzoko, independent researchers from Nalchik and the founders of Ored Recordings, about the discrimination North Caucasians have experienced attempting to cross the Georgian border. Read More: 'A humiliating experience': 4 days in limbo on the Georgian–Russian border Violence and arrests as anti-war prot...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Robin Fabbro talks to Ani Avetisyan and Ismi Aghayev about the latest accusations of war crimes levelled against Azerbaijan. Read More: Western countries express horror at Azerbaijan POW execution video Azerbaijan 'investigating' new POW execution footage Footage appears to show desecration of female Armenian soldier OC Media co-director Mariam Nikura...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Anna Edgar talks to Luiza Mchedlishvili about the anti-war protests that have taken place in the North Caucasus throughout the past week, and Tata Shoshiashvili talks about the arrival of thousands of Russians after the partial-mobilisation announcement. Read More: Violence and arrests as anti-war protests hit Russia's North Caucasus Anti-war protest...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Anna Edgar talks to Dominik Cagara about the international media's coverage of the 13-14 September war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Read More: Explainer | What happened in Armenia and Azerbaijan on 13–14 September? Salome Kobalava joins OC Media to discuss the sale of up to 1,000 square kilometres of forests in Racha to a private company and the im...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Anna Edgar talks to Ani Avetisyan and Ismi Aghayev about the Azerbaijani attack on Armenian military positions along their shared border and what it could mean for future peace talks between the two countries. Read More: Live updates: shelling along Armenian border continues for second day Opinion | The war never ended; the peace process never existed...

In this week's episode of the Caucasus Digest, Anna Edgar talks to Luiza Mchedlishvili about Ramzan Kadyrov hinting at taking an 'indefinite break', and then changing his mind a few days later to continue fighting 'global satanism' in Eastern Ukraine. Tata Shoshiashvili talks about the recent waves of dismissals from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth Affairs as part of Minister Tea Tsuluk...