On August 12, 2026, during a government briefing, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze repeatedly referred to television stations with critical editorial policies, including Formula and TV Pirveli, as “party television stations.” He accused them of fuelling Russophobic sentiment and repeatedly described TV Pirveli journalist Rusudan Dumbadze as a “foreign agent” and a propagandist for the United National Movement.
When a TV Pirveli journalist asked why the Prime Minister devoted so much attention to the issue of Russophobia, Kobakhidze said that such sentiments were being deliberately incited by “foreign agents” and subsequently amplified by what he described as party-affiliated television stations, including TV Pirveli.
“You, the representatives of party television stations, are involved in this. This is a coordinated campaign, and all of this is being organized from abroad,” Kobakhidze told journalist Rusudan Dumbadze. “Your party activists are walking on the beach with [Russophobic] banners, aren’t they? They are agents, and you are covering this by presenting it as people protesting against Russian tourists in Georgia,” he told the journalist.
“Postv”, sanctioned for disinformation, shared a comment by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Facebook, which serves to discredit the investigative media outlet “Monitor”.
In the description of the shared video, “Postv” writes: “The Prime Minister on the disinformation spread by Studio Monitor”.
A day before Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s statement, “Monitor” published a new journalistic investigation concerning the sale of the former “Sakartvelo” hotel building in the center of Tbilisi by Bidzina Ivanishvili’s family bank, “Cartu Bank”.
Irakli Kobakhidze called “Monitor’s” investigation “another manipulation”.
Prior to this, due to the same journalistic investigation, the Mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, attempted to discredit “Monitor”.
On November 24, the Prime Minister of Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze, stated that “associations funded from foreign countries are acting against the development of our country.”
He was responding to a report aired on Imedi’s Week on November 23, in which the pro-government media disseminated a disinformation piece against Light Media, a coalition of 22 independent online media outlets, referring to the media as “agents of foreign intelligence services” and accusing them of receiving funding through illegal means.
According to Irakli Kobakhidze, the goal of these media outlets is to “disrupt the processes of economic development.”
Before Irakli Kobakhidze commented on the report aired on the pro-government channel, the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, had already responded.
On October 4, 2025, on the day of local elections (which were boycotted by a large part of the pro-Western opposition), former Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream, Irakli Gharibashvili, who was at the polling station, called journalists from TV Pirveli and Formula “scoundrels” and “main fakers” at the 11th polling station in Tbilisi.
His response followed questions from journalists about whether he himself was expecting to be arrested, since everyone around him was being detained.
On July 15, 2025, “Georgian Dream” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused Nodar Meladze, head of the news service of independent broadcaster “TV Pirveli,” of being “financed by specific individuals.” According to the disinformation statement: “There are specific people who some think are ‘Nationals’ and in reality they are financed by specific persons who were suspected of corruption and who had to leave the team… Nodar Meladze, who receives directives from this specific group suspected of corruption regarding the dissemination of specific information.”
On July 14, “Georgian Dream” Executive Secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze also made a statement against Nodar Meladze and accused him of “agency speculation.”
On July 10, 2025, the Prime Minister of “Georgian Dream,” Irakli Kobakhidze, accused Mazia Amaghlobeli, the founder of “Batumelebi/Netgazeti,” of carrying out a “specific assignment” and of “demeaning and insulting” the police.
“This case [Mazia’s case] is very important to them [Members of the European Parliament], and why – because they intended to undermine the law enforcement structures in Georgia, because they know very well that if the law enforcement structures are undermined, the entire state will be undermined, and of course, Mazia Amaghlobeli carried out a specific assignment in this regard. She attempted to undermine the law enforcement structures, to undermine the police,” Kobakhidze said.
Irakli Kobakhidze made a similar statement against Mazia Amaghlobeli, the founder of “Batumelebi/Netgazeti,” on April 16, during a broadcast on “Rustavi 2.”
Mazia Amaghlobeli, the founder of “Batumelebi” and “Netgazeti,” has been in unlawful detention for six months. The journalist was initially arrested on January 11, 2025, for putting up a sticker and was shortly released. Soon after, on January 12, 2025, she was arrested under criminal law for slapping the head of Batumi police, Irakli Dgebuadze.
On July 9, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Georgia, calling for Mazia Amaghlobeli’s release. Local and international organizations have also demanded her release.
On July 8, 2025, the Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream government, Irakli Kobakhidze, attempted to discredit independent broadcasters “TV Pirveli” and “Formula.” He made comments to the media regarding the alleged suicide attempt of former Chairman of the Adjara Government, Tornike Rijvadze, according to the official investigation. In his statement, he “generally” linked the incident to oppositional television channels and accused critical TV stations of “slander” and “spreading hatred.”
When asked who, according to him, accused Tornike Rijvadze of “corruption” and “protecting profiteers”, Kobakhidze, as reported in the circulated letter, said:
“I don’t know, there were specific television channels doing this. Generally, the life of a person involved in politics is stressful, even when they no longer hold office. Many lies are spread, there is a lot of insult, a lot of slander. I can name specific TV channels… for example, ‘TV Pirveli’, ‘Formula’.”
Later, he denied the statement, saying:
“No, I didn’t say this. Of course, I didn’t say this. I just gave one example. The rest should be determined by the investigation.”
On December 8, 2024, during a press conference at the Government Administration, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze used offensive language toward Telara Gelantia, a journalist and editor from “BMG,” for asking critical questions. He also threatened to expel her from the press conference.
Irakli Kobakhidze addressed Telara Gelantia with the following words: “I’ll expel you right now. Stop babbling, seriously. Don’t babble, or I’ll expel you if you keep it up.”
