A Georgian-language website of pro-Kremlin media outlet News Front emerged on Georgian media market in October 2019. The news agency News Front was registered on Russian web hosting server reg.ru in November 2014. The website’s IP address is located in the Russian town of Rostov. Until recently, News Front was spreading news in eight languages – Russian, German, English, Serbian, Spanish, French and Hungarian. In October, the Georgian language was added to the platform. News Front recognizes the independence of Ukrainian territories – Donbas, Luhansk and Crimea and its editorial policy is identical to the Kremlin’s agenda.
Facebook page of Georgian-language News Front was created on October 13, 2019 and it has links with openly pro-Russian actors, like Georgia and World, Eurasian Union, Patriot TV, as well as Politicano, affiliated with the Yevgeny Primakov Public Center, which mainly manipulates with socialist issues, trying to incite Soviet nostalgia. News Front’s Georgian-language materials are shared by openly pro-Russian web portal Georgia and World, Sakinform and Facebook page “Stalin.” This circumstance creates an impression that these pages are administered by one group.
News Front Georgia’s Facebook page is administered by Konstantine Chikviladze, who simultaneously is the author of articles published by Georgia and World as well as the admin of its Facebook page. In April 2019, Konstantine Chikviladze, together with partner organizations of Russian World and representatives of ultranationalist unions, participated in an event titled Reanimation of Fascist Ideology, where the May 9 march planned by the Immortal Regiment and its significance were discussed. Konstantine Chikviladze also administers Patriot TV’s open group founded by Giorgi Iremadze. In turn, Giorgi Iremadze is the President of pro-Russian organization “The Union of Young Eurasians.” In August 2017, Iremadze participated in Sputnik’s video bridge.
Simultaneously, News Front’s Facebook page administers a public group “Россия и Грузия- дружба навеки!” (Russia and Georgia – Friendship Forever). The group was created on September 11, 2014 and it changed its name three times since then. On February 4, 2019, the group changed its name twice – initially it was named Kidobani and then Kidobani News. The group chose the name “Россия и Грузия- дружба навеки!” on August 4, 2019. Besides News Front Georgia’s page, the group has six other admins. News Front Georgia’s page also has six admins.
Admins of the group “Россия и Грузия- дружба навеки!”.
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Gulbaat Rtskhiladze |
head of the Eurasian Institute |
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Giorgi Beria |
Profile, which does not publish any identifiable information; has the second profile using the same name and surname with Leonid Brezhnev’s photo used as a profile picture; administers the page Kidobani News, where the materials released by Geworld and Politicano are published; has liked pro-Kremlin media pages, including NTV, Sputnik Georgia and ВЕСТИ.ru. Among Georgian median outlets, he has signed Asaval-Dasavali and Politicano affiliated with the Primakov Public Center, as well as the pages Росси́я – Российская Федерация – Russia and Владимир Путин сегодня. Giorgi Beria is also featuring in the Media Development Foundation’s report “Trolls against Anti-Occupation Protest.” |
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დიდი ვიდეო არქივი (Great video archives) |
Facebook profile linked to Giorgi Beria’s profile. Its timeline shows only tags by Giorgi Beria. |
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Konstantine Chikviladze |
author at Georgia and World; admin of Georgia and World’s Facebook page. |
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Givi Ukleba |
a troll with high probability; uses the photo of Serbian actor, Sergej Trifunović as a profile picture; frequently shares materials released by Georgia and World; Facebook user Giorgi Beria frequently tags him in his posts. |
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Giorgi Mdivani |
founder of a platform Politicano affiliated with the Primakov Public Center |
Admin Константин Чиквиладзе posts in the group various materials by Georgian-language News Front, Georgia and World, Politicano, Marshalpress, Alt-Info, yandex.ru. Information about Georgian-language Facebook page of News Front was shared in the group by user Giorgi Beria, who simultaneously is an admin of this group. Georgia and World also shared the same information with identical text on Facebook.
Prepared by Sopho Gelava and Nana Rapava
