The Kartuli Brief — 2026-04-05 | Sakartvelo Intelligence

საქართველო · ერთობა · ძალა · თავისუფლება

Sovereignty Threat Level

Elevated EU accession suspended · Protest cycle ongoing · Russian pressure steady

Lead

Georgia’s Annual Inflation at 4.3% in March 2026

Georgia’s annual inflation rate stood at 4.3% in March, while consumer prices rose by 0.8% month-on-month, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on April 3. Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 0.9% compared to February. Annual inflation was primarily driven by rising prices in miscellaneous goods and services (9.8%), food and …

Sources: Civil.ge

Russia Watch

Friday, 3 April 2026

Armenia * Russia’s Veterinary and Phytosanitary department has said that the ‘range and quantity’ of plant and livestock products arriving from Armenia gave them grounds to believe that not all of them originated from Armenia. The agency explained that this led to ‘Russia applying stricter requirements to Armenia’. * Armenian authorities have arrested an employee of Russian–Armenian tycoon Samvel …

OC Media

"A nation with a populace that is overwhelmingly pro-Western ruled by a government that has frozen that integration—the Sakartvelo Paradox defines the crisis."

— Sakartvelo Unveiled Analysis

GEL/USD

2.70

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GEL/EUR

3.12

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Mid. Corridor TEU

—

YoY

Tourism YTD

—

FDI

—

Protest Index

—

Active

Domestic Politics

Georgian Public Defender says police has not faced persecution for abuse of protesters

The report noted lack of prosecution even in cases where the officers’ faces were uncovered.

OC Media

Western Response

Moldovan MPs, Including Pro-Russian ex-President Igor Dodon, Visit Georgia

Several members of Moldova’s parliament, including the country’s former president, Igor Dodon, now leader of the pro-Russia Socialist Party, are visiting Georgia from April 1 to 5. Dodon, who just had a working visit to Moscow before arriving in Tbilisi, said the Moldovan parliamentary delegation was invited by Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party. The delegation …

Civil.ge

Economy

Sokhumi, Tskhinvali, Moscow Digest – March 27-April 2, 2026

Below is the weekly digest of key developments and discourses in and around the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, as well as those concerning Tbilisi–Moscow relations. Sokhumi Occupied Abkhazia Launches Forum of Big Deals and Even Bigger Expectations The first-ever “International Economic Forum” has been opened in Sokhumi, bringing t…

Civil.ge

Regional Intelligence

Russia applies ‘stricter requirements’ for Armenian goods following tense Pashinyan–Putin talks

Russia has often been accused of implementing stricter trade controls as a punitive measure.

OC Media

Georgia’s annual inflation slows to 4.3% as food and services prices rise

Food and beverages contributed 2.57 percentage points to annual inflation.

OC Media

Assessment & Data

Sovereignty Indicators

EU Accession Status Frozen

NATO MAP Progress Stalled

Press Freedom (RSF) Declining

Foreign Agent Law Enacted

Civil Society Space Narrowing

Public EU Support ~80%

Week Ahead

European Parliament plenary to debate Georgia resolution on Wednesday. Georgian National Bank inflation data due Thursday. Opposition rally planned Saturday in Tbilisi's Freedom Square. Bidzina Ivanishvili expected to address GD party congress. OSCE monitoring mission report on media freedom scheduled for release.

Compiled from multiple sources