On October 20, a large rally in support for Georgia’s entry into the European Union took place in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square, ahead of the upcoming elections scheduled for October 26.
Social media videos show that the “Georgia Chooses the European Union march” brought what appears to be several tens or thousands of protesters onto the streets of Tbilisi. Protesters sang the Georgian national anthem while waving the EU and Georgian flags.
Salome Zourabichvili – a vocal critic of the ruling Georgian Dream Party – participated in the rally and encouraged protesters to vote pro European parties during the elections. Zourabichvili stated that the protest “shows Georgia has already won and is reintegrating with Europe“.
In her speech, Zourabichvili addressed President Volodymyr Zelensky and said that Zelensky “fights for Georgia too.” You will win and we will both enter the European Union.”
Georgia received EU candidate status along with Ukraine in December 2023. Georgia’s candidacy continues to be questioned as the ruling Georgian Dream Party continues to rekindle its relations with Russia.
Concerns over Georgia’s democracy reached a fever pitch following the passage of the law on foreign agents by the ruling Georgian Dream Party. The law requires that organizations receiving foreign funding be labeled “foreign agent” and mirrors the repressive Russian legislation used against Kremlin regime opponents.
As part of the larger trend of his party to rapprochement Russia, Bidzina ivanishvili (oligarch) declared on Sept. 14 that Georgia should “apologize for” Russia’s 2008 attack against the country.
Western officials have sanctioned Georgian officials in recent months who they consider to be involved in human rights abuses.
On Oct. 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing Georgians to enter Russia without a visa if they are working or studying there.
Belarusian Hajun, a monitoring group, reported that the Belarusian Air Force had downed an Russian Shahed drone in Belarus’ Homel Oblast over night on October 20. This is only the third time that a Belarusian aircraft downed a Russian drone that entered its airspace.
Sources told the Kyiv Independent that drones were used to target the large Sverdlov Plant, owned by the state and located in Dzerzhinsk, a city in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. This is about 900 kilometers into Russia.
Oleksandr Vilkul said that eight of the injured were currently hospitalized, but their condition is “moderate”.
This includes 1,340 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
The upcoming presidential elections in Moldova and the EU referendum on October 20 are considered crucial for determining its future path towards European Union integration.
Regional authorities reported that Russian forces attacked Shostka in Sumy Oblast overnight on October 19 with guided bombs and drones. According to MykolaNoha, the mayor of Shostka, one civilian was killed and 11 others injured in the attack.
On October 19, Jean-Noel Barrot, the French Foreign Minister, said in Kyiv that a Russian victory would enshrine the law of the strong and bring the international order into chaos.
The National Police confirmed three air strikes by Russian forces on Zaporizhzhia, in the southeast of Ukraine, using high-explosive unguided bombs.
According to a joint statement released following their meeting in Naples, the G7 defense ministers reaffirmed their commitment towards supporting Ukraine’s inclusion into NATO.
“U.S. “U.S.
According to Dmytro Lubinets, it is likely that the actual number of cases is much higher because it is difficult for Russian war crimes to be documented without supporting evidence like videos of the executions.
This is the second violation of Romanian airspace this week.
According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, on October 19, Russian Major Dmitriy Privukha, who was allegedly involved in war crime against Ukraine, died in the center Russian-occupied Luhansk when his car exploded.
The Energy Ministry of Ukraine reported that on the morning Oct. 19, over 73,000 customers in three oblasts had been left without electricity as a result of recent Russian attacks.
“Kremniy EL”, one of the largest microelectronics factories in Russia, produces components that are widely used in Russian defence production. These include Pantsir air-defense systems and Iskander rocket systems.
According to the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, this number includes 1,380 casualties Russian troops suffered in the last day.
“Yesterday, after the inspection they told me I was leaving in 30 minutes, but they did not tell me where. On the way, we learned about the exchange.
The prisoners returned also included some Russian fighters mobilized and contract soldiers including kadyrovtsy – the notoriously brutal troops named after Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Anastasia Bobovnikova said, “The overall strategic positioning of the city remains under Ukraine’s control,” on October 18.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com