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Calum MacKenzie

@calummackenzie.bsky.social
766 followers 1.1K following 153 posts

Korrespondent für Russland, Kaukasus, Zentralasien, Belarus bei Schweizer Radio SRF. Tbilissi/Moskau. Aberdeen FC

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Reposted by Calum MacKenzie
Eilish Hart @eilishhart.bsky.social · 18h
With Belarus, we've seen this approach free hundreds of political prisoners while giving Lukashenka an incentive to take more hostages. But with Russia there's another issue — there's no evidence that Putin has any interest in “prosperity agreements” with the U.S.
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Clara Lipkowski @calaha.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
vor Gericht wiedersah, wie er die Haft erlebte und dann zur Verhandlungsmasse für Wladimir Putins Geiseldiplomatie wurde: 🎁 -Link: www.tagesanzeiger.ch/evan-gershko...
tagesanzeiger.ch
16 Monate in russischer Haft: «Er grinste. Da kam er mir unheimlich vor»
Der US-Journalist Evan Gershkovich sass 491 Tage in russischer Haft, weil ihn ein FSB-Agent in eine Falle lockte. Im Interview spricht er über Geiseldiplomatie, Propaganda und sein neues Buch.
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Denis Trubetskoy @denistrubetskoy.bsky.social · 23h
Am Rande der Wiederaufnahme der Angriffe auf Energieanlagen ging in Kyjiw gerade wieder der bisher längste vereinzelte Luftalarm in diesem Krieg zu Ende: 12 Stunden 44 Minuten. Am Sonntag dauerten die Luftalarme insgesamt mehr als 18 Stunden. Auch dieser "Rekord" könnte heute neu aufgestellt werden.
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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 29/09/2026
Political analyst Ekaterina Schulmann says the FSB tortured election expert Alexander Kynev with electric shocks and broke his leg in two places while trying to force him to confess to treason. When he refused, she says, they slapped him with the felony drug charges. t.me/tvrain/111762
t.me
Дождь | Новости
❗️Политолога Кынева пытались обвинить в госизмене, его пытали силовики — Екатерина Шульман Об этом политолог заявила в программе «Статус». «Вчера я выступала на совместном заседании двух комитетов П...
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 29/09/2026
After Russia’s State Duma election, 10 VPN services reported a new surge in government blocking. One said disruptions peaked Sept. 25, while two others said all of their foreign locations and server IP addresses had been blocked. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
meduza.io
Russia steps up VPN blocking after parliamentary elections. Ten services report tighter restrictions in a single week. — Meduza
After the State Duma elections, Russian authorities launched a new round of blocking VPN services. Ten services said they faced tighter restrictions over the past week, Verstka reported. The outlet…
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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 29/09/2026
A leaked audio recording purportedly captures United Russia youth-wing chief Anton Demidov questioning how a party polling at roughly 30% managed to win almost 60% of the vote. He also called Yabloko’s removal from the ballot “idiocy” that made it look like a threat. t.me/agentstvonew...
t.me
Агентство. Новости
Лидер «Молодой гвардии» раскритиковал снятие «Яблока» с выборов и не нашел объяснения высокому проценту «ЕдРа» Телеграм-канал «ЕЖ» опубликовал аудиозапись, на которой, как утверждается, председатель ...
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The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 28/09/2026
Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion rubles ($202.58 billion) on defense in 2027, around 27% more than the amount originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine, government documents seen by Reuters showed.
themoscowtimes.com
Russia Raises 2027 Military Spending by 27%, Budget Documents Show - The Moscow Times
Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion rubles ($202.58 billion) on defense in 2027, around 27% more than the 13.5 trillion rubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in ...
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Janis Kluge @jakluge.de · 28/09/2026
Putin just expropriated the next foreign investor: Germany's retailer Metro decided to stay in Russia after 2022, but has now lost control over its Russian assets anyway. After 26 years of presence in the Russian market, around $3 billion in annual revenues, this story has ended.
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András Tóth-Czifra @minczifra.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This quick take by Stanovaya is even more worrying: she says that the situation is likely worse than the fractures already reported & implies that this is the security elite landing a punch on Kirienko and, by extension, political managers, to show who's in charge of domestic pol t.me/stanovaya/1876
t.me
Stanovaya Тяга
Дело Кынева становится неким новым рубежом во всей этой истории раскручивания чекистской самодеятельности. Во-первых, сейчас уже известны подробности его "задержания". Думаю, скоро появится больше дет...
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Stanimir Dobrev @delfoo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is an example of things breaking down for reasons that weren't initially even considered. It was expected that you can still ship vegetable oils by rail over Russian at a profit. But it seems the issue is you can't deal with the byproduct via rail. bsky.app/profile/delf...
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The Moscow Times (RU) @moscowtimes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Эксперт по выборам Кынев попал в тюремную больницу с переломами из-за избиения при задержании ift.tt/McInhg7
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Reposted by Calum MacKenzie
Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 27/09/2026
Ukraine’s 2026 counterattacks have regained more ground than its failed 2023 offensive, OSINT analyst Clément Molin says, putting the figure at about 175 sq mi. CIT agrees that this year’s local ops have been more successful by area, but says Molin overstates what can be confirmed near Sloviansk.
t.me
Важные истории
ВСУ наступают на позиции ВС РФ в районе Славянска. На этом фоне аналитики начали писать о рекордных показателях отвоеванных территорий, но это не совсем так Продвижения ВСУ в 2026 году позволили осво...
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Ruth Deyermond @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is a poor take that suggests Owen Jones doesn't know much about Russia in the 1990s, including Russia-US or wider Russia-West relations in the 1990s. By giving only one part of the story, he is repeating the Russian political elite's self-serving line that it was all the West's fault. Long 🧵
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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 25/09/2026
Russian political scientist Alexander Kynev, a prominent expert on regional politics, has been jailed pending trial on a major drug charge, Mediazona reports. The offense carries a possible sentence of 10–20 years. t.me/mediazzzona/...
t.me
Медиазона
Политолога Александра Кынева отправили в СИЗО по делу о наркотиках Заседание прошло сегодня в Перовском суде Москвы, заметила «Медиазона». Адвокат Михаил Бирюков подтвердил «Медиазоне» задержание п...
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OC Media @ocmedia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The EU Council has adopted temporary trade liberalisation measures for Armenian products, covering around 80% of Armenian exports to the EU. oc-media.org/eu-eases-armenian-impo…
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Publika.ge @publikage.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1/ Kordz says his concert in Gori was cancelled after the local municipality threatened the venue with an “angry mob” if it did not cancel his performance. He said the threat came after a week of attacks against him and the venue by pro-government media and MPs.
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The Moscow Times (RU) @moscowtimes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
В обмен на снятие санкций с Усманова президент Азербайджана помиловал обвиненного в шпионаже бизнесмена из Франции ift.tt/dFWzLHo
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The Insider @theins.press · 22/09/2026
Novaya Gazeta Europe analysis shows Putin’s party would have won only 34% without ballot stuffing — not the official 57.8% A method for detecting electoral fraud developed by statistician Sergei Shpilkin confirmed the tally was artificially “inflated.”
theins.press
Novaya Gazeta Europe analysis shows Putin’s party would have won only 34% without ballot stuffing — not the official 57.8%
The ruling pro-Kremlin United Russia party appears to have received only around 34% of the vote in the recent election to Russia’s lower house of parliament,…
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 22/09/2026
Real turnout in the elections to the State Duma, held in Russia on September 18–20, was about 40%, according to mathematician Boris Ovchinnikov and election observation expert Roman Udot. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
meduza.io
Actual turnout in Russia’s State Duma election was about 40%, experts say. Russia’s Central Election Commission put it at 59%. — Meduza
Turnout in the elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, held in Russia on September 18–20, was about 40%, according to mathematician Boris Ovchinnikov and election…
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Calum MacKenzie @calummackenzie.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Klar ist Putins Regime schamlos repressiv, aber mit diesen Wahlen ist es noch repressiver und schamloser geworden. www.srf.ch/news/interna...
srf.ch
Wahlen in Russland: Putin greift zur Brechstange
Der Kreml lässt Urnengänge akribisch managen. Im Krieg fordert der Präsident aber erdrückende Wahlsiege.
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DIE ZEIT @zeit.de · 21/09/2026
Russland ließ auch in den besetzten Gebieten in der Ukraine wählen, unter noch repressiveren Bedingungen als auf dem eigenen Staatsgebiet. Wozu diese Inszenierung?
zeit.de
Duma-Wahl: Wo die Wahlhelfer mit der Waffe kommen
Russland ließ auch in den besetzten Gebieten in der Ukraine wählen, unter noch repressiveren Bedingungen als auf dem eigenen Staatsgebiet. Wozu diese Inszenierung?
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 21/09/2026
With Russia’s three-day State Duma elections over, Meduza spoke to Kremlin insiders about the results. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io
Russia’s State Duma election delivered record turnout and a landslide for United Russia. Kremlin insiders say the results were achieved ‘through very dirty means.’ — Meduza
With 93% of precinct returns processed, United Russia, the country’s ruling party, had won about 58% of the vote in the election to the State Duma. Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF) placed second with…
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Simone Brunner @simonebrunner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Darum geht es also mit #Belarus. Die Trump-Administration setzt sich für eine "Normalisierung" der Beziehungen zu Lukaschenka ein, zuletzt sind unter US-Vermittlung hunderte politische Gefangene freigekommen, aber es sind noch immer hunderte in Haft - und es kommen immer neue hinzu.
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Anton Barbashin @abarbashin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Now that Duma election is over. How likely is the new wave of #mobilization in Russia and what would it look like? Olga Irisova and I surveyed 16 military experts and 10 experts on Russian elites to find out. 1/3
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Matt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Who says it’s impossible for sitting leaders to stay popular in today’s fractious democracies?
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 21/09/2026
Russia’s anti-war Yabloko party is set to enter the Novgorod regional legislature with 6.2% of the vote. It was the only one of eight regions where the party’s candidate list was allowed onto the ballot. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
meduza.io
Russia’s antiwar Yabloko party was barred from seven of eight regional races. In the one where it made the ballot, it’s set to enter the regional legislature. — Meduza
With 96.86% of precinct tallies counted, Yabloko is on track to win seats in the Novgorod regional legislature’s eighth convocation, according to data from Russia’s Central Election Commission.
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Calum MacKenzie @calummackenzie.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Habe in Moskau mit Typen über eine mögliche neue Mobilmachung geredet. Meine Einschätzung: Eher unwahrscheinlich. Für den Kreml macht sie rational wenig Sinn. Andererseits: Der Kreml handelt bei weitem nicht immer rational… www.srf.ch/news/interna...
srf.ch
Gerüchte um neue Einberufungen: Russen zwischen Angst und Pflichtgefühl
Wie wahrscheinlich sind neue Einberufungen? Diese Frage müssen sich Wehrpflichtige in Russland wohl oder übel stellen.
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OC Media @ocmedia.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Former Russian official Kambolov wins South Ossetia presidential election. 👉Read the full article here: oc-media.org/former-russian-officia…
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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 17/09/2026
If you think you're having a bad day, ponder the "protest-voting strategies" available to Russian oppositionists and know that your situation could always be more pathetic. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
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Lucian Kim @luciankim.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Just returned from Ukraine. As if grinding Russian attacks on the battlefield weren’t enough, much of the attention has now shifted to the home front. Here are a few of the main takeaways from my trip:
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 16/09/2026
Wi-Fi at a youth festival in Russia reportedly checks each user’s accreditation number. The system prevents Russian citizens from joining the network that lets foreign visitors access blocked social media platforms and websites. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
meduza.io
A youth festival in Russia reportedly gives foreign visitors unfiltered Wi-Fi — while keeping Russian participants behind state censorship — Meduza
Organizers of the International Youth Festival underway at Yekaterinburg Expo have given foreign participants access to websites blocked in Russia, according to the local outlet Signal Ural.
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OC Media @ocmedia.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Georgian Dream has announced plans to add the opposition For Georgia party to the list of parties it wants to ban. The list, which now contains five parties, covers all major opposition groups that managed to clear the electoral threshold in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
oc-media.org
Georgian Dream now wants all major opposition parties banned
The ruling party now intends to ban the only opposition group participating in parliament — For Georgia.
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The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 15/09/2026
In an April letter, Syutkin, a longtime food columnist for The Moscow Times, describes the criminal case against him in his own words.
themoscowtimes.com
‘My Case Is Unquestionably Political’: Russian Culinary Historian Pavel Syutkin on His Prosecution - The Moscow Times
Opinion | Russian culinary historian Pavel Syutkin was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison over social media posts about alleged Russian atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, during the opening weeks of ...
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 11/09/2026
A month after the anti-war party Yabloko was barred from running its party list in Russia’s State Duma elections, the pressure hasn’t stopped. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io
A month ago, Russia’s anti-war Yabloko party was disqualified from the State Duma election. That was only the beginning. — Meduza
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Simone Brunner @simonebrunner.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Wo ist die das Leben am repressivsten, wo sind die Menschen am unfreiesten? Im Süd-Sudan, in Nord-Korea, im Gazastreifen? Nein. Laut Freedom House sind es die russisch besetzten Gebiete in der Ukraine. Russkij mir. www.politico.eu/article/ukra...
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Vlad Vexler @vladvexler.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Quick take on Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow - (1) What on earth is Kushner doing representing the United States? What position does he hold? What is his legitimacy? Not enough is said about how egregious this is.
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Anton Barbashin @abarbashin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Why Russia will not attack #NATO At this point Moscow can punish the West. It cannot afford to fight it. Russian army is overstretched in Ukraine and still failing there. A NATO war—even limited—would leave Russia exposed on multiple fronts. Thread 1/10
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DER SPIEGEL @spiegel.de · 03/09/2026
Moskau legt im Drohnendisput mit Berlin nach: Laut Außenminister Sergej Lawrow werden russische Standorte des Goethe-Instituts geschlossen.
spiegel.de
Russland schließt Goethe-Institut als Vergeltungsmaßnahme im Streit über Drohnen
Moskau legt im Drohnendisput mit Berlin nach: Laut Außenminister Sergej Lawrow werden russische Standorte des Goethe-Instituts geschlossen.
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Calum MacKenzie @calummackenzie.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Solowjow mag nicht komplett repräsentativ sein, aber die Analyse von @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social trifft ins Schwarze.
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Stanimir Dobrev @delfoo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The Russian association of tour operators is placing in hotels Russian tourists in Turkey who were stranded because Turkish Airlines and Pegasus canceled flights to Russia. This is a side effect from the development with the closure of Russian air space since yesterday.
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Stanimir Dobrev @delfoo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In the same press address Putin managed to say he will not negotiate with terrorists implying he's talking about the Ukrainian and then said the leadership of Ukraine will not be targeted so there's someone to negotiate with. He should talk in front of a microphone more often.
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Sébastien Gobert @sebagobert.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Zelensky annonce une campagne pour « fermer l’espace aérien russe » et faire sentir aux russes les effets de leur guerre en amont des « élections » prochaines. Ca vaut ce que ça vaut, ces effets d’annonce. Mais dans la foulée, l’action a perdu 4%.
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The Moscow Times (RU) @moscowtimes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Один из последних европейских банков в России призвал клиентов закрыть счета и забрать деньги ift.tt/DKGuW9x
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 29/08/2026
Antidepressant sales keep climbing in Russia. But that isn't proof that more people are depressed. As Meduza explains, doctors cite easing stigma around psychiatry, the cost of quality therapy, and other uses: migraine, chronic pain, and IBS. meduza.io/en/cards/rus...
meduza.io
Russians are buying more antidepressants every year. Doctors say that doesn’t necessarily mean more Russians are depressed. — Meduza
Antidepressant sales in Russia have been growing steadily, a trend the media covers regularly. We decided to look at what may be behind it — and at what people who are about to start taking…
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Civil.ge @civil.ge · 28/08/2026
Daur Buava, an Abkhaz TikToker who lived in Tbilisi-controlled territory and published videos promoting Abkhaz-Georgian friendship, was found dead in Tbilisi.
civil.ge
Abkhaz TikToker Daur Buava Found Dead in Tbilisi - Civil Georgia
Daur Buava, a 31-year-old Abkhaz TikToker who lived in Tbilisi-controlled territory and published vi
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The Moscow Times (RU) @moscowtimes.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
«Заблокирована». «Википедия» перестала открываться в России без VPN ift.tt/lK9TIoN
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 27/08/2026
Cyprus now issues and renews residence permits for Belarusians whose passports have expired — docs their own govt refuses to reissue abroad. Belarusians have to return home to obtain a new passport, a move that carries the risk of criminal charges for some. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
meduza.io
Cyprus starts granting residency to Belarusians with expired passports — Meduza
Belarusian citizens with expired passports can now obtain and renew residence permits in Cyprus, the office of Cyprus’s deputy migration minister told RFE/RL’s Belarusian service, Radio Svaboda. The…
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Anton Barbashin @abarbashin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Bloomberg sources from Russian government say that Putin is now more likely to use nukes in Ukraine. Imagine he does. What does it give him? Would Ukraine just surrender? Would sanctions be lifted? I think those sources are purposefully trying to scare the West into compliance.
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Stanimir Dobrev @delfoo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Ozon changed the rules what personal items workers at warehouses can bring to include keys, a phone without internet or camera and documents. They also had to raise the bonus for going on a shift from 1 200 rubles to 5 500 rubles because people stopped showing up.
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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Former Georgian (Dream) prime minister Irakli Garibashvili faces new corruption charges for 11-15 years of prison, after he sent angry letters from prison about how he accepted in silence out of loyalty his sentence, yet his family faces threats from GD. www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/33836986.h...
radiotavisupleba.ge
ღარიბაშვილს ქრთამის აღების ბრალდება წარუდგინეს - ექს-მინისტრ ბურჭულაძის საქმეზე
საქართველოს ყოფილ პრემიერ-მინისტრს, ირაკლი ღარიბაშვილს, - რომელიც წინა კვირაში „ქართული ოცნების“ გუნდის მხრიდან ზეწოლაზე საუბრობდა, - ახალი, კორუფციული ბრალდება წარუდგინეს.
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