Ekho Kavkaza, the Russian-language unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian Service that targeted audiences in the occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia/Tskhinvali regions, closed on May 1 as part of the organization’s restructuring.
In an April 28 statement, RFE/RL also announced the merger of four services – Radio Svaboda, Current Time, Radio Azadliq, and Marsho Radio – into a single multimedia programming unit for audiences in Russia, and said that it will take over covering “newsworthy events in these occupied regions for Russian-language audiences.” The Georgian Service will continue to program in Georgian.
The statement said the changes are part of a “reform plan.” RFE/RL, funded by the U.S. Congress, “will focus its resources on Iran, Russia, and the countries most affected by Russian expansionism – as well as the growth of Chinese influence across its coverage area.” According to the statement, Congress appropriated a budget of USD 112.5 million for RFE/RL in fiscal year 2026.
RFE/RL had already closed its Bulgarian, Romanian, and North Macedonia services, as well as Radio Mashaal, its Pashto-language service for Pakistan’s tribal regions, in March.
Ekho Kavkaza was founded in 2009.
The post Ekho Kavkaza, RFE/RL’s Russian-Language Unit Covering Georgia and Its Occupied Territories, Closes first appeared on The South Caucasus News – SouthCaucasusNews.com.
