{"id":4336,"date":"2025-11-30T21:48:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T18:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/?p=4336"},"modified":"2025-12-01T11:57:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:57:41","slug":"belarusian_propaganda_sakartvelo_protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factcheck.lt\/eng\/news\/belarusian_propaganda_sakartvelo_protests\/","title":{"rendered":"How Belarusian state media covered the protests in Sakartvelo: a year of propaganda narratives","raw":"How Belarusian state media covered the protests in Sakartvelo: a year of propaganda narratives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Citizents of Georgia’s Sakartvelo (\u10e1\u10d0\u10e5\u10d0\u10e0\u10d7\u10d5\u10d4\u10da\u10dd) gathered in Tbilisi to mark one year since the start of mass protests. The demonstrations began in late November 2024, shortly after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia’s EU membership program.<\/p>\n


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This statement, following disputed parliamentary elections, sparked immediate public mobilization. During the first nights of protests, police used water cannons, tear gas, and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. Human rights organizations and media reported dozens of injured protesters and journalists, as well as over 300 arrests during the first week.<\/p>\n

Over the past 12 months, the protest movement has not faded. Throughout the year, the authorities tightened their grip, introducing new restrictions on public gatherings, increasing fines, and initiating legal proceedings against activists.<\/p>\n

Tensions remained particularly high ahead of local elections in October, which the opposition ultimately boycotted. The ruling Georgian Dream party won. Clashes between protesters, ruling party supporters, and police were reported in several locations. By late autumn, prosecutors had opened cases against a number of activists on charges related to “attempts to destabilize the state.”<\/p>\n

While events unfolded on the streets of Georgia, a parallel information campaign was taking shape in Belarus. This report examines how Belarusian state media covered the Georgian protests over nearly two years\u2014from early 2024 to late 2025\u2014and identifies key narratives, manipulation techniques, and propaganda patterns.<\/p>\n

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Key findings<\/strong>
\nOur analysis covered 689 videos published by the five largest Belarusian state television channels on YouTube between January 2024 and November 2025. The total number of views exceeded 66 million. AI-based content analysis revealed that 75% of the videos exhibited a high or critical level of risk of disinformation, with emotional manipulation and unverified factual claims being the most common techniques.<\/p>\n

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Georgia ranked third among the most frequently attacked countries in this content\u2014after Ukraine and the United States\u2014indicating the significant role of the Tbilisi events in the overall strategy of Belarusian state media.<\/p>\n

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Methodology<\/strong>
\nThis dataset includes videos from five Belarusian state-run YouTube channels: SBTV (175 videos), NEWS.BY (164), ONT (153), CTV (131), and BelTA (66). All videos were selected using keywords related to Georgia and then filtered to exclude irrelevant content, such as travel vlogs and cultural programs.<\/p>\n

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Full transcripts were obtained for each video and processed using AI classification to assess the risk of disinformation, identify manipulation techniques, and extract specific claims. The analysis period spanned January 2024\u2014when coverage of Georgia’s foreign agent law began to intensify\u2014to November 2025, capturing the entire first year of the protest movement.<\/p>\n

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Timeline: Coverage intensity and key events<\/strong>
\nThe volume of publications closely followed the developments in Georgia, with distinct peaks corresponding to major political events.<\/p>\n

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The first surge occurred in April-May 2024, when the Georgian parliament debated and ultimately passed the controversial Foreign Influence Transparency Law. During this period, Belarusian media released 67 videos, garnering nearly 12 million views. Coverage presented the law as a reasonable measure to protect national sovereignty, drawing clear parallels with similar legislation in the US and Russia.<\/p>\n

A second, smaller peak occurred in October 2024 around the parliamentary elections. Coverage during this period emphasized the ruling party’s victory and characterized Western criticism of the vote as interference in Georgia’s internal affairs.<\/p>\n

The most intense coverage occurred in November-December 2024, when protests erupted following the government’s decision to suspend EU accession negotiations. In December alone, Belarusian state-run television channels published 122 videos about Georgia\u2014the highest monthly figure in the dataset\u2014with over 11 million views. The tone shifted noticeably: protesters were increasingly described as “radicals” and “extremists” orchestrating a Western-backed coup attempt.<\/p>\n

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Timeline: How Lighting Has Changed<\/strong>
\nPhase 1: Foreign Agent Law (April-May 2024)<\/strong><\/p>\n

67 videos | 11.9 million views<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first wave of publications was linked to the adoption of a law on foreign influence transparency in Georgia. The main narrative: Georgia is defending its sovereignty from Western interference.<\/p>\n

Top videos of the period:<\/strong><\/p>\n