#CIA #FBI #SouthCaucasus
x.com/mikenov/status…— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) May 2, 2026
Day: May 2, 2026
Ekho Kavkaza, the Russian-language unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian Service that targeted audiences in the occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia/Tskhinvali regions, closed on May 1 as part of the organization’s restructuring.
In an April 28 statement, RFE/RL also announced the merger of four services – Radio Svaboda, Current Time, Radio Azadliq, and Marsho Radio – into a single multimedia programming unit for audiences in Russia, and said that it will take over covering “newsworthy events in these occupied regions for Russian-language audiences.” The Georgian Service will continue to program in Georgian.
The statement said the changes are part of a “reform plan.” RFE/RL, funded by the U.S. Congress, “will focus its resources on Iran, Russia, and the countries most affected by Russian expansionism – as well as the growth of Chinese influence across its coverage area.” According to the statement, Congress appropriated a budget of USD 112.5 million for RFE/RL in fiscal year 2026.
RFE/RL had already closed its Bulgarian, Romanian, and North Macedonia services, as well as Radio Mashaal, its Pashto-language service for Pakistan’s tribal regions, in March.
Ekho Kavkaza was founded in 2009.
The transition in global monetary policy over the last few months represents one of the most significant pivots in recent economic history. As 2025 drew to a close and the early weeks of 2026 unfolded, a sense of cautious optimism permeated international markets. The prevailing narrative suggested that the aggressive cycle of monetary tightening, which had characterized the post-pandemic recovery years, had finally done its work. Central banks across the globe, including the European Central Bank and authorities in emerging markets like Brazil and Kazakhstan, began to lower their benchmark interest rates to stimulate growth.
