On February 2, 2026, during a live broadcast on the pro-government “Rustavi 2,” Georgian Dream’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili referred to Radio Liberty as a tool of Western propaganda and spread misinformation about the media outlet’s funding sources.

Papuashvili spoke about alleged foreign interference in the country and attempts to stage a revolution, claiming that these interventions were being attempted through various channels. “You talk as if the USAID in the American administration hasn’t been closed, as if funding for Radio Liberty hasn’t been stopped. Radio Liberty, funded by the central intelligence agencies of the United States and an instrument of official propaganda, had its funding cut by America. And who funds it now? European sources. Don’t you wonder? How was this propaganda instrument taken over?” [Timecode: 51:34 – 51:55]

This is not the first time Papuashvili has attacked Radio Liberty. On November 24, 2025, he referred to the outlet in exactly the same way and called its journalists propagandists. Radio Liberty is not the only target of Papuashvili’s discrediting efforts; over time, he has targeted multiple media outlets, including “Publika,” “Netgazeti,” “Mtis Ambebi,” TOK.TV, “Tabula,” On.ge, and the media solidarity campaign “Sinatle Media.”