GEORGIA: Third Blackout & more – 6th August 2026

Gamarjobat from Louse Point. This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 6th of August twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Wednesday, the 5th, Georgia experienced its third nationwide power outage in two weeks. The blackout which lasted just under an hour disrupted internet service, stopped metro and rail systems, and knocked out streetlights and traffic signals.

According to the official version the blackout occurred during scheduled testing conducted at the Enguri Hydropower Plant, the biggest in the country, aimed at diagnosing weaknesses following earlier system failures on 24th and 25th of July. Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission member Giorgi Pangani disclosed that officials knew in advance that running tests on the plant carried a significant risk of a total system shutdown, yet the public was not warned ahead of time.

On Monday, the 3rd, the United States made its visa bond program permanent for Georgian citizens, making Georgia the only European country on Washington's list of fifty high-risk nations with a high percentage of visa overstays. Under the programme, Georgians applying for tourist or business visas must post a bond of up to 20,000 dollars, refundable only if they leave the US on time.

Program’s pilot data showed overstays from listed countries dropped sharply after bonds kicked in. Georgians recorded a 7.5% overstay rate in twenty twenty-four, higher than Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

On Thursday, the 30th, the Georgian government published a decree that makes state university tuition free, but there is a catch. The first two semesters will be fully free for every student, but from the third semester onward, half of the funding will depend on academic performance, and students who don't keep their grades up will have to cover that portion themselves. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said this condition would keep students motivated.

On Monday, the 27th, authorities detained Davit Chitanava, a Georgian police officer who resigned just a month earlier, on charges of stalking women and illegally storing their private photos. He stayed on the force through most of the investigation, which began with a complaint in spring twenty twenty-five, and quit only weeks before his arrest. Prosecutors say he used WhatsApp to obtain and store nude photos of three victims and sent one victim's photo to another person. He also stalked one woman, appearing near her home and contacting her against her will.

Georgian media also reported that a beauty center employee in Samegrelo region secretly photographed clients in revealing positions and sent the images to Chitanava, who used them to blackmail the women. He denies the charges, but if found guilty will face up to seven years in prison.

Last week we covered activist Tornike Toshkhua's arrest on the 26th, when police detained him outside the Tbilisi City Council building for holding a banner that asked whether Georgian Dream or the Kotsebi party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili is a dick. That time the court fined him three thousand Laris, which is over a thousand dollars. On Friday, the 31st, police arrested him again at the same spot for a similar banner, this time spelling out only the first letter of the offending word. The second time around the court sentenced him to five days of administrative detention for petty hooliganism.

Speaking of activists. On Friday, the 31st, authorities released sixty-one-year-old Zurab Menteshashvili from Tbilisi's Gldani Prison after nine months behind bars. He was the first person convicted under Georgia's tightened law that made repeatedly blocking a road a criminal offense. Fellow activists greeted him with a Georgian flag outside the prison. He said he will join the protests again.

On Tuesday, the 4th, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused domestic critics of the ruling party of displaying insincere anti-Russian sentiments on behalf of foreign forces. Days before the anniversary of the August two thousand and eight War, Kobakhidze said that opposition politicians and civil society groups only adopted strong anti-Russian stances after Russia’s twenty twenty-two invasion of Ukraine. He also said that the previous government under the United National Movement or Natsebi encouraged Russian tourism and trade following the two thousand and eight war and also blamed them for Russia occupying Georgian territories.

In related news. On Wednesday, the 5th, Georgia’s State Security Service launched a criminal investigation under the sabotage article following what they call a targeted disinformation campaign aimed at damaging the country's economy.

According to official statements, foreign-managed bot networks across social media platforms spread false claims asserting that Georgian citizens were intentionally abandoning Russian tourists in forests and deliberately contaminating food ordered by Russian visitors at local restaurants.

Investigators state the coordinated effort was designed to disrupt Georgia's state interests and tourism industry, carrying a penalty of up to four years in prison. The security service is working to identify the campaign’s organizers, financial sources, and distribution mechanisms to prevent further destabilization attempts.

On Tuesday, the 4th, investigative outlet Studio Monitor reported that individuals tied to the fraudulent call center network AK Group appeared to resume illegal operations at a new site in Tbilisi. The group stole over 35 million dollars from 6 000 victims across Europe and Canada between twenty twenty-two and twenty twenty-five. Following an earlier joint investigation, authorities charged eleven people and arrested former State Security Service head Grigol Liluashvili for protecting the scheme.

In their new investigation Studio Monitor journalists secretly filmed the network's former managers, guards, and agents operating at the new building for six months. The office closed down right after the organization released a preview of their new report.

Authorities are saying that the case is still ongoing and that the prosecutors office is waiting for additional evidence from international partners.

On Tuesday, the 4th, Georgia’s State Security Service arrested two food supply company directors for supplying horse meat instead of beef to kindergartens in Kareli and Marneuli. Inspectors discovered horse DNA in routine food samples, leading officials to terminate the suppliers' contracts, which were valued at 173 000 Lari (64 000 dollars) and 218 000 Lari (80 000 dollars) respectively. Both suspects face up to nine years in prison for large-scale fraud against the state.

The investigation also revealed that both companies held multiple other lucrative municipal contracts, including supplying food to additional regional preschools, a national tuberculosis center, and the Tbilisi Zoo.

On Monday, the 3rd, German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle launched a new Georgian-language service, starting on Instagram as DW Kartuli with plans to expand to Facebook and YouTube. Funded by the European Union under the European Information Shield Initiative, the initial eighteen-month project aims to counter disinformation and strengthen media freedom across the South Caucasus region. A team of five to six journalists based primarily in Berlin will handle coverage of local, European, and global news.

On Sunday, the 2nd, Imprisoned third President Mikheil Saakashvili sparked amusement on social media after publishing a political commentary inspired by Christopher Nolan’s new film adaptation of The Odyssey. Drawing elaborate parallels between himself and the mythic hero, Saakashvili framed Georgia's political power as Penelope (wife of Odysseus) and likened current opposition leaders to her aggressive suitors, claiming they fear his return to politics because they know he is far better equipped to rule Georgia than any of them.

The post raised questions about how he was able to watch a film, which was still in the middle of an exclusive theatrical run worldwide, while in prison. Saakashvili later acknowledged that he had watched a pirated version of the movie on a flash drive which was smuggled to him.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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