The Kartuli Brief — 2026-07-05 | Sakartvelo Intelligence

საქართველო · ერთობა · ძალა · თავისუფლება

Sovereignty Threat Level

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

Lead

Company Operating Kulevi Refinery Says It Will Process ‘Entirely Non-Russian Origin’ Crude Oil

Black Sea Petroleum, a company owned by Georgian businesswoman Maka Asatiani that operates the newly launched Kulevi oil refinery in western Georgia, announced that it will begin refining “crude oil of entirely non-Russian origin” starting in August-September, saying the shift will “open doors to high-margin markets” for its products. July 1’s statement said the compa…

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

2.64

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GEL/EUR

3.02

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Mid. Corridor TEU

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YoY

Tourism YTD

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FDI

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Protest Index

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Active

Domestic Politics

Georgia’s Black Sea Petroleum says it will stop refining Russian oil

The company has recently been under suspicion of laundering Russian crude.

OC Media

Western Response

Georgia’s Annual Inflation at 5.8% in June 2026

Georgia’s annual inflation rate reached 5.8% in June, while consumer prices increased by 0.1% compared to May, according to data released by the National Statistics Office (Geostat) on July 3. The annual inflation rate was driven primarily by higher prices in transport (16.5%), restaurants and hotels (8.4%), miscellaneous goods and services (7.3%), housing, water, electricity, …

Civil.ge

Economy

Daghestani activist imprisoned for membership in group that believes USSR still exists

Her defence intends to appeal the six-year sentence, arguing that no crime was committed.

OC Media

Regional Intelligence

Uzbekistan President Visits Tbilisi, Signs Strategic Partnership Agreement with Georgia

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Georgia — “first-ever at the highest level” — on July 2–3, during which the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement. The agreement makes Uzbekistan the second Central Asian country to establish a strategic partnership with Georgia, following a similar agreement with Kazakhstan on June 30 …

Civil.ge

Kavelashvili Arrives in Tehran for Khamenei’s Funeral

Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili traveled to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As part of his visit, Kavelashvili met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 3, while a video from Tehran shows him paying his respects in a funeral ceremony as Khamenei lay in state in …

Civil.ge

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