Georgian news outlets experience a shutdown affecting more than twenty sites
Since August 13, 2025, over 20 Georgian online media outlets, including Netgazeti, Publika, and Batumelebi, have been inaccessible, marking a significant disruption in the country's digital news landscape [1].
Users attempting to visit these websites are met with a blank black screen, with no further details available regarding the outage at this time. The precise cause of this outage remains undisclosed in the search results.
Regional patterns of government-directed internet restrictions and security-related shutdowns in Russia and neighboring areas provide context but do not directly explain the Georgian outage [2][4]. For instance, in parts of Russia and the North Caucasus, internet slowdowns and shutdowns have been enacted as security responses to drone alerts. Moreover, Russia has implemented a "sovereign internet" policy aimed at tightening state control over internet infrastructure by blocking and throttling access to certain services [4].
However, it is essential to note that these examples do not confirm the cause of the Georgian media outages. No recent information from official Georgian or media sources clarifies whether the websites' outages are due to technical failures, cyberattacks, government shutdowns, or other causes. The clustered outage of major independent Georgian news outlets suggests the possibility of censorship or coordinated disruption, but this remains speculative without direct confirmation.
As of mid-August 2025, no detailed official explanation or timeline for restoration is available. The ongoing outage of these media outlets underscores the importance of a free and open internet, and the global community will continue to monitor the situation closely.
[1] Source: [Insert Link] [2] Source: [Insert Link] [4] Source: [Insert Link]
The Georgian media outage affecting Netgazeti, Publika, and Batumelebi, among others, has created a widespread disruption within the country's digital news landscape, resembling the regional patterns of government-directed internet restrictions observed in neighboring countries like Russia. Yet, the specific origin of this outage remains vague, leaving the possibility of censorship or coordinated disruption open to speculation.
