Ivanishvili's Landmark Legal Victory and Ukraine Peace Talks Lead Day's Headlines in Georgia
The Georgian news landscape on November 24, 2025, was dominated by several significant developments, both domestic and international. A pivotal legal decision saw former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili secure a victory against Credit Suisse in the UK Secret Council's Judicial Committee. The court rejected the bank's appeal and upheld its obligation to compensate Ivanishvili for damages, a ruling welcomed by prominent figures of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party, including Irakli Kobakhidze and Shalva Papuashvili, who characterized the long-standing dispute as "gangster racketeering."
Internationally, discussions surrounding a potential peace plan for the war in Ukraine continued to draw considerable attention. Reports indicated that a proposed 28-point U.S. peace plan had been reduced to 19 points following negotiations in Geneva. However, the head of the Georgian Legion in Ukraine, Mamuka Mamulashvili, voiced strong skepticism, labeling the U.S. proposal as a "capitulation plan" that neither Ukrainians nor Georgian legionnaires would accept. Conversely, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov stated that many points of the U.S. plan were acceptable to Russia, while dismissing a newly revealed European plan as "unconstructive" and unacceptable.
Domestically, the day was marked by protests and concerns over media freedom. Law enforcement officials detained several participants during a protest march in Tbilisi, with reports of up to six arrests. Separately, TV Pirveli journalist Giorgi Mamniashvili was fined 3,000 GEL on charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying police orders, an incident that prompted calls for his release from media ethics organizations. Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili criticized what he termed "Brussels' hypocrisy" regarding xenophobia funding in Georgia, and 22 online media outlets jointly announced a complaint against "Imedi" for what they called propagandistic reporting.
Further local news included municipalities engaging in public budget discussions for 2026. Both Batumi and Kutaisi began public deliberations on their upcoming annual budgets. Environmental issues also remained a concern, with the National Environmental Agency reporting continued high concentrations of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in the atmospheric air, particularly noted in Batumi. Several forest fires were also reported across various regions of Georgia, including Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Zemo Svaneti, Imereti, and Samtskhe-Javakheti.
In sports, Georgian athletes continued to make headlines. Basketball star Tornike Shengelia confirmed his commitment to join the national team for their crucial 2027 World Championship qualifier against Ukraine, flying from Spain immediately after a club game. Additionally, UFC fighters Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria were recognized by MMA legend Georges St-Pierre among the top five fighters in the UFC, further highlighting Georgia's growing presence in international combat sports.