19 people detained at protest against Russian cruise ship in Batumi

Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia the day before detained 19 people, including a citizen of Ukraine, at a protest in Batumi for petty hooliganism and disobedience to the police. This is stated in the message of the Public Defender of Georgia.

Residents opposed the arrival of a cruise ship from the Russian Federation, which was also attended by pro-Kremlin artists. Protests also took place outside the parliament building in Tbilisi. The participants held posters with the inscriptions "We are Europe", "Love for the Motherland is not a crime." The protesters demanded that the detained citizens be released.

The cruise ship Astoria Grande with Russian tourists on board left the port of Batumi ahead of time. The company has canceled a stopover in Georgia on planned cruises.

Последние новости
Georgia and Armenia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup
Sport
Georgia and Armenia will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup
29 April 2026

Georgia and Armenia will host the 2029 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The national football associations of both countries confirmed this information, which was received at the FIFA Council in Vancouver on April 28.

Azerbaijani human rights activists condemned Karimli's ongoing arrest
Human rights
Azerbaijani human rights activists condemned Karimli's ongoing arrest
29 April 2026

The Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Ali Karimli expressed strong protest on the occasion of the 61st birthday of the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), which the politician is celebrating in the pretrial detention facility of the State Security Service. The human rights activists accused the authorities of exerting pressure on Karimli for years, including the revocation of his passport and periodic arrests.

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament declared that joining the EU following the Ukrainian or Moldovan model is unacceptable
Politics
The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament declared that joining the EU following the Ukrainian or Moldovan model is unacceptable
29 April 2026

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, stated that Georgia's territorial integrity is inviolable and will not be subject to negotiation for EU membership. He criticized the "Ukrainian and Moldovan-style" approaches to European integration, calling them alien to Georgia.

NIYSO: Three young men kidnapped in Chechnya and forced to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense
Human rights
NIYSO: Three young men kidnapped in Chechnya and forced to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense
29 April 2026

The Chechen opposition movement NIYSO announced the arrest and subsequent deployment to Ukraine of three young men from the village of Tangi-chu in the Urus-Martan district of the Chechen Republic. Fellow villagers reportedly asked for prayers for them.