Episode 141: Georgia flying away towards Russia

Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYjIn this episode Adam and Aga start by discussing the latest mass drone and missile attacks on Kyiv. Afterwards, Aga reluctantly summarises the controversy around Poland's newly approved special commission which could be used by the government to target opposition figures ahead of parliamentary elections this fall. We wrap up the news section with an update on the Turkish presidential election and the ongoing rumours about the health of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.Aga then sits down with Anastasia Mgaloblishvili - a Doctoral Researcher in the Berlin Graduate School of Global and Transregional Studies program and a former Foreign Relations coordinator in a Georgian democratic, pro-Western opposition movement “Droa”. Aga and Anastasia discuss the recent developments in Georgia, particularly the controversial resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia. They then delve into what this latest in a string of controversial moves by the Georgian government tells us about the direction in which the ruling Georgian Dream party is taking the country and what it might mean for the relations with the EU and other partners.Check out Anastasia's recent publication: https://visegradinsight.eu/russias-clandestine-victory-in-georgia/Check out also NEE's latest coverage of the topic: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/03/10/the-european-dream-georgias-growing-anti-european-rhetoric-undermines-its-pro-western-aspirations/You can also find our guest on Twitter @tasomgaFind us on Twitter too @areichardt and @awidlaszewska