The Kartuli Brief — 2026-06-26 | Sakartvelo Intelligence

საქართველო · ერთობა · ძალა · თავისუფლება

Sovereignty Threat Level

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

Lead

National Bank Says It Purchased $632 Million in Foreign Currency in May

The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) said it made a “record” net purchase of USD 632.9 million through the Bmatch trading platform in May, bringing the country’s international reserves to over USD 7 billion. According to the central bank, total net foreign exchange purchases in January-May 2026 amounted to USD 1.46 billion. The latest intervention …

Sources: Civil.ge

"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

2.65

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GEL/EUR

3.00

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Mid. Corridor TEU

—

YoY

Tourism YTD

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FDI

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Protest Index

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Active

Domestic Politics

Papuashvili Denounces EU Parliament, PACE Resolutions, Says They ‘Crossed Red Lines Set by Georgian People’

Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili denounced recent critical resolutions by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), saying they have “ultimately crossed the red lines set by the Georgian people” and “grossly violated Georgia’s sovereignty and the principles of national independence.” In a June 25 breifing, Papuashvili, speaking &#82…

Civil.ge

Western Response

Thursday, 25 June 2026

Regional * Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has denied that recent personnel changes in South Ossetia’s leadership were linked to possible plans by Russia to annex the territory. According to the Russian state-run news agency TASS, when asked whether the leadership change in the republic could be connected to the process of South Ossetia’s possible annexation to Russia, Peskov replied: ‘No, it c…

OC Media

Economy

Azerbaijan blocks access to OC Media website

The move came just as Azerbaijan launched a new National Cybersecurity Agency with far-reaching powers of information control.

OC Media

Regional Intelligence

Fuel disruptions lead to petrol sale restrictions in the North Caucasus

A variety of factors, including Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, are driving the nationwide shortage.

OC Media

Review | Namme — Zaza Khalvashi’s Medea in the snow

Namme is a poetic portrait of a young Georgian woman who inherits the sacred, and quietly grieves for the ordinary.

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