Day: June 6, 2025
Moscow-Sukhumi train delayed
The Moscow–Sukhumi train and 20 other trains were delayed due to an explosion on the railway in the south of Russia’s Voronezh Region.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) confirmed that an explosive device had been planted on the damaged section of the railway.
A few days earlier, on 1 June, train derailments also occurred on railways in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, which Russian authorities claimed were caused by explosions carried out by Ukrainians.
According to Moscow’s official data, seven people were killed and over a hundred injured in the incidents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the events as a terrorist attack. Ukraine has so far not commented on the explosions or the accusations of involvement.
Anna Dolidze’s For People party has exited the opposition coalition Strong Georgia, which it joined last summer ahead of the parliamentary elections. Dolidze announced that her party will return to its own agenda.
“Many thanks to every person who placed their trust in us, those who voted for the Anna Dolidze For People party in the elections, and also trusted Strong Georgia,” Dolidze said in a social media post on June 6.
She said her party had joined the Strong Georgia coalition to “prevent Bidzina Ivanishvili from stealing your votes and harming Georgia’s European path.” But, as she added, “It’s now time for the For People party to return to its goals and purposes.”
For People was part of the Strong Georgia coalition, which included the Lelo and Citizens parties, and the Freedom Square movement. The coalition received 8.81% of the vote, according to the official but contested results, and secured 14 seats in Parliament, which they renounced as part of the opposition’s boycott.
Dolidze founded the For People party in 2021 to promote progressive policies.
In March, the Freedom Square movement also exited Strong Georgia to become an independent political party. Its leader, Levan Tsutskiridze, later accused the ruling Georgian Dream party of obstructing the registration process after the Public Registry rejected the application for the second time.
Also Read:
- 05/11/2024 – Opposition’s Action Plan Seeks to Reclaim Victory Through Resistance and Street Protests
- 26/09/2024 – Strong Georgia Coalition Unveils Part of Electoral List
- 19/09/2024 – Lelo-Led Strong Georgia, Gakharia’s For Georgia Fail to Agree on Election Alliance
- 17/10/2021 – Dolidze Refuses Runoff Endorsements
Russia claims UK recruits Georgian activists
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has issued a statement claiming that the United Kingdom is planning to bring an end to the rule of the Georgian Dream party by recruiting around a hundred youth and student organisations, as well as feminist movements and LGBT community structures.
According to the SVR, Georgian Dream has prioritised Georgia’s national interests — a stance that allegedly irritates Western “liberal globalists.”
SVR statement
“The press bureau of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation reports that, according to information received by the SVR, the West is frustrated by Georgia’s desire to break free from the intrusive guardianship of liberal-globalist forces and their values, which are alien to the Georgian people. What especially irritates Western actors is that Tbilisi — once, under M. Saakashvili, the ‘locomotive of democratisation’ in the South Caucasus — is now increasingly veering onto an ‘authoritarian path,’ placing national interests at the forefront.
The ‘struggle for Georgia’ is being led by the British. London plans to significantly increase funding for Georgian opposition NGOs, directing them toward the radicalisation of anti-government activity. To carry out subversive work, the UK Foreign Office has selected around 100 youth and student associations, feminist movements, and LGBT community structures across different regions of Georgia.
At the next stage, the British intend to push these organisations, ‘charged with subversive creativity,’ to consolidate their efforts with opposition parties. According to London’s calculations, this should ‘revitalise’ the systemic political opposition, give it ‘a second wind,’ and mobilise it for a renewed campaign to oust the ruling Georgian Dream party from power.
Particular emphasis is placed on training ‘activists’ in methods of subversive activity. Future militants will be taught how to resist the police during protests, bypass government ‘digital’ controls, and prepare acts of sabotage.
As is clear, the Anglo-Saxons cannot come to terms with Tbilisi stepping out of the circle of their unquestioning vassals. The rule of Georgian Dream openly irritates them. And London could not care less about the Georgian people, who, in last year’s parliamentary elections, clearly supported the nationally oriented course of the country’s leadership.”
This is not the first time the SVR has issued a disinformation-laden, propagandist statement of this nature. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service began actively disseminating such narratives in 2024. Over the past year, it has repeatedly claimed that the United States is planning to seize power in Georgia through a coup, and that the European Union is funding protest participants in Tbilisi on a daily basis.
Irakli Purtseladze will lead the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), filling a post that had been vacant for almost three years.
Purtseladze succeeds Amiran Gamkrelidze, who stepped down in August 2022. Following the resignation of Gamkrelidze, who led national efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, First Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia briefly served as acting head, succeeded by NCDC Deputy Director Paata Imnadze in an acting capacity.
Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze introduced the new director to NCDC staff, saying Purtseladze’s “professional experience and management skills will support the strengthening of the public health system.”
Irakli Purtseladze worked at Georgia’s largest pharmaceutical company, Aversi, from 2002 to 2024, serving as General Director from 2011 to 2013. He also chaired the supervisory board of Alfa Insurance Company from 2016 to 2018.
The National Center for Disease Control is a public agency that runs the Lugar Center for Public Health Research, a U.S.-funded biological research facility in Georgia. Following Georgian Dream’s adoption of the Foreign Agents Law in 2024, several sectors, including health, were affected by the suspension of foreign funds to Georgia. As part of the $95 million cut in U.S. aid, some of the funding for the NCDC and the Lugar Laboratory was suspended. Health Minister Sarjveladze confirmed this, though he downplayed the scale.
Also Read:
On June 5, Nepal’s leading media outlet Nepalkhabar published an article titled “Mines and Unexploded Ordnance: The Silent Threat in Post-War Azerbaijan.” Authored by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan accredited in both India and Nepal, the article aims to raise global awareness about the severe security, humanitarian, and developmental challenges Azerbaijan continues to face due to landmine contamination.