Day: May 18, 2026

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News Review

Money Transfers to Georgia Up 7.6% in April, Led by EU and U.S.

Money transfers to Georgia from abroad reached USD 318.06 million in April, marking a 7.6% (USD 22.5 million) increase compared to the same period last year, according to the latest data published by the National Bank of Georgia (NBG).

The largest share of money transfers continued to come from the European Union and the United States, which together accounted for 62,8% of total inflows, USD 199,82 million.

Transfers from EU member countries alone totaled USD 141.52 million, representing 44.4% of all inflows and a 6.7% increase compared to April 2025.

By country, the United States ranked first with USD 58.3 million (18.3%), followed by Italy with USD 53.42 million (16.8%). Other major sources included Russia with USD 42.06 million (13.2%), Germany with USD 28.61 million (8.9%), and Israel with 27.24 million (8.5%).

Armenia recorded the highest year-on-year growth, with transfers rising by 50% to USD 1.54 million. Significant growth was also reported from Tajikistan, up 46.4% to USD 1.07 million; Turkey, up 34.4% to USD 11.57 million; Israel, up 22.8% to 27.24 million; and Belgium, up 17.8% to 1.53 million.

By contrast, transfers from Kyrgyzstan fell by 39% year-on-year to USD 4.72 million, marking the sharpest decline among reporting countries.

Meanwhile, money transfers from Georgia totaled USD 35.2 million in April 2026, up 10.2% from USD 31.9 million in April 2025.

Personal remittances to Georgia account for 11.9% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to the World Bank’s 2024 data.

Also Read:

The post Money Transfers to Georgia Up 7.6% in April, Led by EU and U.S. first appeared on The South Caucasus News – SouthCaucasusNews.com.

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News Review

#CIA https://thenewsandtimes.blogspom/2026/05/ukraine-and-russia-have-engaged-in.html #Ukraine and #Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments. https://thenewsandtimes.blogspom/2026/05/ukraine-and-russia-have-engaged-in.html

#CIA thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com… #Ukraine and  #Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments.  thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com… — Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) May 18, 2026

The post #CIA https://thenewsandtimes.blogspom/2026/05/ukraine-and-russia-have-engaged-in.html #Ukraine and #Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments. https://thenewsandtimes.blogspom/2026/05/ukraine-and-russia-have-engaged-in.html first appeared on The News And Times Review – NewsAndTimes.org.

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Articles and Tweets

#CIA #Ukraine and #Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments.

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News Review

Russia-Ukraine Drone Warfare Escalation https://gemini.google.com/share/410fba6f43df

Russia-Ukraine Drone Warfare Escalation  gemini.google.com/share/410f… — Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) May 18, 2026

The post Russia-Ukraine Drone Warfare Escalation https://gemini.google.com/share/410fba6f43df first appeared on The News And Times Review – NewsAndTimes.org.

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Articles and Tweets

Russia-Ukraine Drone Warfare Escalation

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News Review

Sanctions experts said they expect the U.S. to either issue a short-term extension or grant specific exemptions to major Asian refineries. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/18/us-allows-russian-oil-waiver-to-expire-again-a92773

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News Review

‘Tool of control to crush dissent’: Amnesty warns of global ‘resurgence’ in use of death penalty

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Chiara Sangiorgio, Amnesty International’s Death penalty specialist. In Amnesty International’s latest global report on the death penalty, 2025 emerges as a grim landmark year: at least 2,707 executions were recorded across 17 countries, the highest figure documented in recent years. Yet the significance of the report lies not only in the scale of executions, but in the political logic Amnesty identifies behind them. Ms. Sangiorgio argues that the contemporary resurgence of capital punishment is “rooted in fear,” increasingly deployed “as a tool of control and to crush dissent.”
#AmnestyInternational #Iran #DeathPenalty

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News Review

Pro-Government TV Channels Account for Over Three-Quarters of Advertising Revenue in Q1 2026

Georgia’s pro-government TV channels – Imedi, Rustavi 2, and POSTV – accounted for more than three-quarters of all television advertising revenue of GEL 25.6 million (approximately USD 9.5 million) during the first quarter of 2026, according to independent media watchdog Mediachecker, based on official data from the Communications Commission (ComCom), the state media regulator.

Imedi TV and POSTV, which were the first and third-largest recipients with GEL 10.8 million (approximately USD 4 million) and GEL 1.9 million (approximately USD 709,000), respectively, were sanctioned by the United Kingdom on February 24 over “Russian disinformation.” It is unclear, however, whether the reported advertising revenue, which covers the January-March period, was received before or after the sanctions. Another pro-government channel, Rustavi 2, came as the second-largest recipient with GEL 7.9 million (approximately USD 2.9 million).

According to Mediachecker, among Imedi TV’s largest contributors were Meama, a coffee company, Anagi, a construction firm, and Avenue By Orbi, a hotel complex developed by Orbi Group in Batumi, each spending more than GEL 500,000 (approximately USD 187,000) on advertising with the channel.

Meanwhile, critical TV Pirveli and Formula TV received GEL 1.26 million (approximately USD 470,000) and GEL 978,200 (approximately USD 365,000), respectively. The continued disparity between the pro-government and government-critical channels’ advertising revenues comes as broadcasters in Georgia are banned from receiving foreign funding, except for commercial transactions, under amendments to the Broadcasting Law adopted in 2025.

Formula TV reported on May 4 that its broadcast had been partially suspended for part of its audience due to an outstanding debt to Stereo Plus, an operator that distributes the channel’s free-to-air signal via a digital multiplex to viewers without cable television. The channel said on May 13 that it resumed the disrupted broadcasting.

In March, TV Pirveli also said that its satellite broadcasting was halted due to unpaid fees. The shutdown in TV Pirveli’s case mainly affected viewers in regions and remote areas, where online streaming and on pay TV platforms were less available.

According to ComCom’s data, total television commercial advertising revenue reached GEL 25.6 million in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 72.7% increase compared to the same period last year. In January-March 2025, broadcasters received GEL 14.8 million in advertising revenue, with Imedi also leading the market at the time with GEL 6.1 million.

In December, Transparency International-Georgia, a local watchdog group, reported that “17 regional broadcasters” halted operations in 2025 due to financial difficulties.

Also Read:

The post Pro-Government TV Channels Account for Over Three-Quarters of Advertising Revenue in Q1 2026 first appeared on The South Caucasus News – SouthCaucasusNews.com.

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Articles and Tweets

Ukraine and Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments.

Ukraine and Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments. On May 17, 2026, Ukrainian forces launched nearly 600 long-range attack drones targeting 14 Russian regions, including a significant assault on the highly fortified capital area of Moscow. In parallel, Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and residential areas. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Ukraine’s Massive Strike on Russia (May 17)

According to updates from Reuters and local officials, the massive wave of Ukrainian drones represented the largest single strike on the Russian capital in over a year. [2]
  • Casualties & Locations: The strikes killed at least five people. Three died in the Moscow outskirts—including a woman in Khimki and two men in Pogorelki—and one in the border region of Belgorod. An Indian national working in the region was also among those killed.
  • Targets Hit: Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) stated that the operations successfully struck high-tech semiconductor and microchip plants used in weapons manufacturing, as well as a major oil refinery on Moscow’s doorstep.
  • Disruption: Falling drone wreckage forced authorities to cancel or delay over 300 flights at Moscow’s premier hubs, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo International Airports.
  • Zelenskyy’s Response: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the strikes as “entirely justified”. He noted that Ukrainian drones penetrated over 500 kilometers (310 miles) past the border to deliver “long-distance sanctions,” proving they could bypass Russia’s densest air defense networks to bring the costs of the war home to the Russian public. [4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Continuous Russian Drone Bombardments

The Ukrainian operation was launched as direct retribution for a devastating string of Russian drone and missile barrages targeting major cities. [2, 4]
  • The Kyiv Assault: Earlier in the week, a heavy Russian drone strike hit a residential complex in Kyiv, killing 24 people. President Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched more than 3,170 attack drones over a single week.
  • May 18 Overnight Attacks: Reports from The Independent detailed another massive overnight bombardment by Russia using 287 combat drones.
  • Impacted Areas: While Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 279 of the drones, several broke through. In the southern port city of Odesa, drones directly hit a school, a kindergarten, and residential high-rises. Explosive-laden drones and companion missile strikes also killed civilians and wounded dozens across the Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. [1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 15]

Broader Regional and NATO Tensions [10]

The escalation in drone warfare has rapidly spilled over borders, triggering severe geopolitical friction. [8, 16]
  • NATO Airspace Incursions: Multiple stray Ukrainian drones—veering off-course due to Russian electronic countermeasures—have crashed inside neighboring NATO member states, including Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
  • Political Fallout: On May 17, a suspected Ukrainian drone was found crashed in Lithuania. Meanwhile, a separate drone brief intrusion into Latvia prompted NATO fighter jets to scramble. The political fallout from these recurring drone incursions recently caused the collapse of Latvia’s government following the forced resignation of its defense minister.
  • Collapsed Ceasefire: These heavy escalations effectively shattered a brief, fragile U.S.-brokered 72-hour truce meant to coincide with regional events, leaving diplomatic peace negotiations entirely stalled. [3, 5, 7, 16, 17]
If you would like to look closer into a specific aspect of this situation, please let me know. I can provide more details on the types of drones being utilized by both sides, the status of NATO border security responses, or the impact on regional energy infrastructure.
–
The News And Times Information Network – Blogs By Michael Novakhov – thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com
Categories
October Surprise 2016

Ukraine and Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments.

Ukraine and Russia have engaged in their most intense, large-scale cross-border drone warfare of the conflict, marked by a massive retaliatory strike by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory and consecutive waves of Russian aerial bombardments. On May 17, 2026, Ukrainian forces launched nearly 600 long-range attack drones targeting 14 Russian regions, including a significant assault on the highly fortified capital area of Moscow. In parallel, Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and residential areas. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Ukraine’s Massive Strike on Russia (May 17)

According to updates from Reuters and local officials, the massive wave of Ukrainian drones represented the largest single strike on the Russian capital in over a year. [2]
  • Casualties & Locations: The strikes killed at least five people. Three died in the Moscow outskirts—including a woman in Khimki and two men in Pogorelki—and one in the border region of Belgorod. An Indian national working in the region was also among those killed.
  • Targets Hit: Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) stated that the operations successfully struck high-tech semiconductor and microchip plants used in weapons manufacturing, as well as a major oil refinery on Moscow’s doorstep.
  • Disruption: Falling drone wreckage forced authorities to cancel or delay over 300 flights at Moscow’s premier hubs, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo International Airports.
  • Zelenskyy’s Response: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the strikes as “entirely justified”. He noted that Ukrainian drones penetrated over 500 kilometers (310 miles) past the border to deliver “long-distance sanctions,” proving they could bypass Russia’s densest air defense networks to bring the costs of the war home to the Russian public. [4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Continuous Russian Drone Bombardments

The Ukrainian operation was launched as direct retribution for a devastating string of Russian drone and missile barrages targeting major cities. [2, 4]
  • The Kyiv Assault: Earlier in the week, a heavy Russian drone strike hit a residential complex in Kyiv, killing 24 people. President Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched more than 3,170 attack drones over a single week.
  • May 18 Overnight Attacks: Reports from The Independent detailed another massive overnight bombardment by Russia using 287 combat drones.
  • Impacted Areas: While Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 279 of the drones, several broke through. In the southern port city of Odesa, drones directly hit a school, a kindergarten, and residential high-rises. Explosive-laden drones and companion missile strikes also killed civilians and wounded dozens across the Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. [1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 15]

Broader Regional and NATO Tensions [10]

The escalation in drone warfare has rapidly spilled over borders, triggering severe geopolitical friction. [8, 16]
  • NATO Airspace Incursions: Multiple stray Ukrainian drones—veering off-course due to Russian electronic countermeasures—have crashed inside neighboring NATO member states, including Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
  • Political Fallout: On May 17, a suspected Ukrainian drone was found crashed in Lithuania. Meanwhile, a separate drone brief intrusion into Latvia prompted NATO fighter jets to scramble. The political fallout from these recurring drone incursions recently caused the collapse of Latvia’s government following the forced resignation of its defense minister.
  • Collapsed Ceasefire: These heavy escalations effectively shattered a brief, fragile U.S.-brokered 72-hour truce meant to coincide with regional events, leaving diplomatic peace negotiations entirely stalled. [3, 5, 7, 16, 17]
If you would like to look closer into a specific aspect of this situation, please let me know. I can provide more details on the types of drones being utilized by both sides, the status of NATO border security responses, or the impact on regional energy infrastructure.
–
The News And Times Information Network – Blogs By Michael Novakhov – thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com