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will neal

@willneal.bsky.social
2.6K followers 956 following 213 posts

writer, investigative journalist | 2025 Livingston Award finalist, Amnesty Media Award shortlistee | 2024 John Schofield Trust fellow | contact via willneal.org/

PostsRepliesMedia
will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Pleasure working on this for PunchUp and the Daily Beast in partnership with @scottstedman.bsky.social and Matt Bernardini for The Newsground. www.thedailybeast.com/eric-and-don...
thedailybeast.com
Shady Russian Network Behind Trump Vanity Project Exposed
The president’s sons are trumpeting a new Trump Tower—but not the Moscow oligarch behind one of the companies they named in the deal.
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Take it from me — JD Vance really, really doesn’t want you to read this story. www.thedailybeast.com/jd-vance-eye...
thedailybeast.com
JD Vance Eyes Up $9M Mansion Owned by Data Center Tycoon
Vance is looking to rent the luxury property from a businessman making bank on a Trump administration policy push spearheaded by the vice president himself.
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
EXCL w/PunchUp and Migrant Insider: DHS is planning a deportation system embedded inside Panama to turn back US-bound migrants before they ever reach the border. Immigration attorneys are calling it "the master plan for global implementation." thepunchup.substack.com/p/trumps-exp...
thepunchup.substack.com
Trump’s Explosive Secret Plan to Stop Migrants Setting Foot on American Soil
EXCLUSIVE: Documents obtained by PunchUp and Migrant Insider reveal a DHS-built deportation system embedded in Panama—and a tiny window before automatic removal.
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
EXCL: A prominent GOP attorney tied to Truth Social and the RNC has been hit with a $120M suit alleging fraud, conspiracy and extortion—stemming from his work for agents of the Kurdistan Regional Government who tried to buy surveillance spyware in the US. www.thedailybeast.com/trump-lawyer...
thedailybeast.com
Trump Lawyer Sued for $120M Over Shady Spying Drama
Ted Kittila worked for Truth Social while acting for a foreign regime that tried to buy sinister spyware in the U.S.
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Not often I get to write about Georgia these days, but… www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-sign-...
thedailybeast.com
Trumps Sign Mega Tower Deal With Firm Tied to Sanctioned Pro-Putin Billionaire
The Trump Organization is moving into the Kremlin’s backyard.
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Couple of Daily Beast exclusives out in the past few days from the ever-joyful world of MAGA public contracting. 1/4
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
This morning, the UK sanctioned Georgia’s largest broadcaster, Imedi TV. No media organization has done more to amplify the regime’s anti-Western propaganda amid the war on Ukraine, or to rationalize Georgia’s descent into violent authoritarianism. 1/9
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 24/01/2026
Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
A letter to the master of Trinity Hall, in response to her email to alumni regarding the Guardian's reporting this week: www.theguardian.com/education/20...
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
When they kick you out of Georgia and you make it 9,000 miles to Argentina before the universe starts mocking you…
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
EXCLUSIVE: A top attorney behind MAGA’s push to see Hunter Biden jailed for violating foreign influence laws was at the same time working for an abusive foreign regime that tried to buy sinister surveillance software in the U.S. Latest for @thedailybeast www.thedailybeast.com/magas-hunter...
thedailybeast.com
MAGA’s Hunter Biden Ukraine Bulldog Now Working for Foreign Spies
GOP lawyer Ted Kittila helped push claims of foreign influence peddling against Hunter Biden even as he worked for an abusive foreign regime.
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Index on Censorship @indexoncensorship.org · 23/10/2025
When journalist @willneal.bsky.social was barred from #Georgia, his life was turned upside down. But for citizens, the country’s slide into violent authoritarianism has left them in a far more dangerous position. Read his account in our latest magazine issue ⬇️ journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
It’s been more than four months since I was expelled from Georgia with no word on a hearing date for my appeal. Here’s my latest for Index on Censorship about the ban, and what it says more broadly about the dire situation the country now finds itself in. papyrus.exacteditions.com/issues/14183...
papyrus.exacteditions.com
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
Spoke with Daniel Boffey for his @theguardian.com piece today on Hunnewell Partners. Good to see the issue getting more attention. Some links to my prior reporting on the group below. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
theguardian.com
Owner of Georgian broadcaster called country’s ‘propaganda megaphone’ is based in London
Imedi TV owner denies criticism by EU disinformation monitor and says it is editorially independent
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Hans Gutbrod @hansgutbrod.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s... Article doesn't have much that's new for people following #Georgia & reading @willneal.bsky.social coverage of Imedi and Hunnewell but at least brings the malfeasance to an even wider audience.
theguardian.com
Owner of Georgian broadcaster called country’s ‘propaganda megaphone’ is based in London
Imedi TV owner denies criticism by EU disinformation monitor and says it is editorially independent
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The Coalition of Cyber Investigators @coalitionci.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Pleased that our co-founder @nealysart.bsky.social contributed to this deep dive by @theobserveruk.bsky.social on #SpaceX investment fraud from @willneal.bsky.social Scammers are leveraging AI & sophisticated tactics to defraud investors globally #osint #investigations #investment #fraud #spaceX
observer.co.uk
Elon Musk’s space unicorn has a scam problem | The Observer
Cybercriminals are stealing the identities of investment firms to con millions out of would-be SpaceX investors
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
🚨NEW: Amid Musk’s turn to Dark MAGA, the rush for SpaceX shares has seen fraudsters mercilessly targeting investors with no means of buying into the firm’s success. My debut @theobserveruk.bsky.social, on how one group used AI to dupe victims out of millions.👇 observer.co.uk/news/busines...
observer.co.uk
Elon Musk’s space unicorn has a scam problem | The Observer
Cybercriminals are stealing the identities of investment firms to con millions out of would-be SpaceX investors
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Hans Gutbrod @hansgutbrod.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
the entire section is worth reading. @blairmcdougall.com "The complaint of the democracy activists I used to work with is that all of this brutality is happening while the regime’s money is washed through business associates in London." Hello @willneal.bsky.social ! No mincing of words there.
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Mamuka Mdinaradze, a key architect of Georgia's authoritarian shift, has just been appointed head of the state security service. Last May, @willneal.bsky.social reported on the government unit funded by Western countries, before being used against them. newlinesmag.com/reportage/na...
newlinesmag.com
NATO Helped Georgia Counter Russian Trolls. Then the Strategy Backfired
As a previously successful communications initiative falls into disarray, the Black Sea country’s drift away from the West seems inexorable
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Guga Chomakhidze @gugachomakhidze.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
A gripping exposé by @willneal.bsky.social unravels the billion-dollar legal intrigue linking oligarchs, offshore financiers, and sanctioned assets — all playing out in UK courts. A must-read for anyone curious about lawfare, kleptocracy, and shadow geopolitics
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
🚨NEW: Latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social with Josimar's Paul Brown, on how an Israeli tycoon, a shady Miami investment group, and a UK firm controlled by enablers of the Georgian regime became embroiled in a £1bn legal spat between powerful Russian business interests. 1/13 👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
shorturl.at
Mystery at the Heart of £1 Billion UK Legal Offensive Against Top Putin Ally
A sanctioned former Kremlin politician was sued for shares in his multi-billion-dollar fertiliser company. But why did a trio of companies with links to Russian interests in football get involved?
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
New report from the folks at Civic Idea on how Iranian companies appear to be using Georgian markets to circumvent international sanctions → civicidea.ge/en/georgian-...
civicidea.ge
Georgian Dream’s anti-western policy: How Iranian companies are using Georgia to bypass sanctions - Civic Idea
HOW IRANIAN COMPANIES ARE USING GEORGIA TO BYPASS SANCTIONS? Civic IDEA’s latest investigation sheds light on a little-known but deeply troubling dimension of Iran-Georgia relations. The report exposes how Iranian businessmen are using Georgia as a strategic transit point to evade international sanctions and channel funds back to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our findings reveal […]
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Hans Gutbrod @hansgutbrod.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
In the past, #Georgia was open to international press. In the last ten months, this, like so much else, has gone into full reverse. Here is the story. @clementgirardot.bsky.social @willneal.bsky.social cpj.org/2025/07/geor...
cpj.org
Georgia increasingly blocks entry to Western journalists amid authoritarian turn - Committee to Protect Journalists
When British investigative journalist Will Neal was turned back at Georgia’s border with Armenia in May, he became the fifth of at least six European journalists in recent months to be denied entry in...
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Terje Helland @terjehelland.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
🇬🇪A country once seen as the democratic bright spot of the post-Soviet space is now undergoing the fastest authoritarian regression in modern European history. 🧵Here’s a thread to keep you updated on what’s happening - and why it matters. 1/23
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Jen Psaki @jenpsaki.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
When the Epstein files enter the chat…you know the bromance may actually be over…
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Oh nothing, just the world’s most divorced man casually finding out why they call it regretamine.
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IFEX @ifex.org · 30/05/2025
#Georgia 🇬🇪 British journalist Will Neal investigated Georgian power circles and was expelled from the country following a smear campaign against him by pro-government politicians. @rsf.org‬ tells his story.
buff.ly
Georgia: British journalist subjected to smear campaign, then expelled from country - IFEX
"Will Neal’s case marks a new stage in the repression of foreign journalists in Georgia and clearly illustrates the authorities’ rejection of any independent journalistic scrutiny of power…
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Council of Europe Media Freedom @coemediafreedom.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Freelance British Journalist @willneal.bsky.social Denied Entry to Georgia Find out more 👉 go.coe.int/nYCUw Alert submitted by @globalfreemedia.bsky.social & JFJ #EuropeForFreeMedia Photo: social media
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Katie Shoshiashvili @kshoshiashvili.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
🇬🇪 Georgia has shown a growing pattern of denying entry to Western journalists, including those critical of the Russian government. The latest case involves British journalist @willneal.bsky.social, who was barred from entering the country without explanation after reporting on Russian links 1/3
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Terje Helland @terjehelland.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
🇬🇪🇬🇧A must-read investigation by @willneal.bsky.social in Byline Times: How Hunnewell Partners, a UK firm tied to Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly facilitated Kremlin-linked financial schemes through London’s elite circles. bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
bylinetimes.com
Moscow’s Ties to the Georgian Regime Ran Through Kensington and Chelsea
Leaked documents reveal how UK firm Hunnewell Partners, controlled by alleged enablers of Georgia’s ruling oligarch, facilitated a top Putin crony’s attempts to exploit the collapse of a more than $1....
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Maximilian Hess @maxhess.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Terrible news that @willneal.bsky.social has been barred entry to Georgia, his home, because of his tireless reporting on money and power. The Georgian authorities should reverse themselves immediately. rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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The JAMF @thejamf.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
"5th European journalist expelled from #Georgia in 7 months: Will Neal, a resident of Tbilisi since 2022, was refused entry on May 20 after being the target of a hate campaign in response to one of his investigations. RSF is calling for this arbitrary ban to be lifted."
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GREUBE HUMAINE @greubelinux.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
5e journaliste européen refoulé de #Géorgie en 7 mois : résident à Tbilissi depuis 2022, le 🇬🇧 Will Neal s’est vu refuser l’entrée sur le territoire le 20 mai, après avoir fait l'objet d'une campagne de haine en réaction à l’une de ses enquêtes. RSF demande la levée de cette interdiction arbitraire.
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Civil.ge @civil.ge · 23/05/2025
British journalist Will Neal was denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the UK and EU, Reporters Without Borders said, condemning the decision as arbitrary and political, calling for its reversal.
civil.ge
British Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia - Civil Georgia
British journalist Will Neal was denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon retu
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OC Media @ocmedia.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Georgia-based British journalist Will Neal has been denied entry to Georgia. Neal linked the move to his investigation into alleged ties between the owners of pro-government TV channel Imedi and the sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
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Eilish Hart @eilishhart.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
I've had the pleasure of working with Will on several stories and he's a professional to his core, a journalist who cares deeply about Georgia, its people, and getting the story right. Now, he's been denied entry into Georgia for his work investigating the powers that be.
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Charles McPhedran @charliekreuz.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
👀 All the more reason to go check out Will’s Byline Times story (see thread for a link).
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Snufkin's Harmonica 🏴🏳️‍⚧️🍉🌻 @snufkins-harmonica.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Fucked up, unsurprising but absolutely fucked up. Remember reading his article and loving it. The whole thread is worth looking into.
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Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 @marikamikiashvili.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
@willneal.bsky.social was arbitrarily refused entry into Georgia although he's lived here for 3 years. His research must have hurt them a lot, but it's not like they only limit themselves to major journalists either. Soon it won't be possible for Western journalists to operate in Georgia.
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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Hans Gutbrod @hansgutbrod.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
as international journo, report on what *actually* goes on in #Georgia? They will not let you back into the country. Under Otsneba, being Persona Non Grata seems like the ultimate compliment to @willneal.bsky.social rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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RSF FR @rsf-interfr.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
5e journaliste européen refoulé de #Géorgie en 7 mois : résident à Tbilissi depuis 2022, le 🇬🇧 Will Neal s’est vu refuser l’entrée sur le territoire le 20 mai, après avoir fait l'objet d'une campagne de haine en réaction à l’une de ses enquêtes. RSF demande la levée de cette interdiction arbitraire.
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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Another journalist refused re-entry into Georgia. Will Neal is based in Tbilisi and upon return from a visit to the UK and EU he was refused at the Armenian-Georgian land border. This followed a smear campaign in Georgia against him after he wrote a critical article. rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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Thomas de Waal @tomdewaal.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
This reporting has now resulted in Neal being denied re-entry into Georgia, the country has lived in since 2022. A blow not just against Neal, but against free speech and independent reporting on Georgia rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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Thomas de Waal @tomdewaal.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Please read, share and repost this brave piece of journalism by Will Neal @willneal.bsky.social‬ about Georgia and the dealings and Russia connections of London-based Hunnewell Partners which owns Imedi TV amongst other assets, is a close partner of Georgian Dream. bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
bylinetimes.com
Moscow’s Ties to the Georgian Regime Ran Through Kensington and Chelsea
Leaked documents reveal how UK firm Hunnewell Partners, controlled by alleged enablers of Georgia’s ruling oligarch, facilitated a top Putin crony’s attempts to exploit the collapse of a more than $1....
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Anna Gvarishvili @annagvarish.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
My good friend and an amazing investigative journalist @willneal.bsky.social was barred from entering Georgia. Will has worked on several important investigative stories on Georgia rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist @willneal.bsky.social The attacks followed the publication of his investigation for Byline Times, on business ties between UK private equity Hunnewell Partners and Roman Abramovich rsf.org/s/95157
rsf.org
Entre harcèlement et refoulement du territoire : la Géorgie muselle le journaliste britannique Will Neal
Le journaliste indépendant britannique Will Neal s’est vu refuser arbitrairement l’entrée sur le territoire géorgien, où il vit depuis 2022, à son retour d’un séjour en Europe. Reporters sans frontièr...
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Dustin @dustingilbreath.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Another day and another journalist barred from Georgia
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RSF @rsf.org · 23/05/2025
The #British journalist @willneal.bsky.social, who has lived in Tbilisi since 2022, was denied entry into #Georgia on 20 May. This followed a government-backed smear campaign against him over one of his investigations. RSF condemns this arbitrary decision and calls for its immediate reversal.
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will neal @willneal.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
On Tuesday night I was barred from entering Georgia, my home for the last three years. Official reasons were given as “other,” but from the circumstances of my departure in April it’s clear the refusal is directly tied to my work covering the country as a journalist. 1/ rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
We are thrilled that New Lines was named a Livingston Award finalist for our piece by @willneal.bsky.social on NATO funding a Georgian government troll division. This is the 2nd year in a row that New Lines was named a finalist. Check out the original story here!
newlinesmag.com
NATO Helped Georgia Counter Russian Trolls. Then the Strategy Backfired
As a previously successful communications initiative falls into disarray, the Black Sea country’s drift away from the West seems inexorable
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