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Vazha Tavberidze

Vazha Tavberidze is a staff writer with RFE/RL's Georgian Service. As a journalist and political analyst, he has covered issues of international security, post-Soviet conflicts, and Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. His writing has been published in various Georgian and international media outlets, including The Times, The Spectator, The Daily Beast, and IWPR.

Also by Vazha Tavberidze

October 31, 2024
Edward Lucas: 'Georgia Is Heading In The Direction Of Belarus'

Longtime journalist Edward Lucas spoke with RFE/RL’s Georgian Service about what's in store for Georgians and their Caucasus nation following disputed national elections.
October 29, 2024
Toomas Hendrik Ilves: 'There Has To Be A Price' For Alleged Election Rigging In Georgia

After the ruling party declared victory in Georgia, Estonia's former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said Georgians are being stymied thanks in part to Russian influence, and “there has to be a price” for billionaire Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and the party’s elites.
October 04, 2024
The West Doesn't Want Ukraine To Lose But Isn't Ready For It To Win, Says Russia Policy Expert

James Nixey is a leading expert on Russian foreign policy at London's Chatham House. In an interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service, he says it is difficult to predict how Russia's invasion of Ukraine may end, but he can't imagine Ukraine accepting the "status quo" as it is now.
September 17, 2024
Interview: Former British Air Commander Says Ukraine Must 'Inflict Maximum Pain' On Russia

Sean Bell, a former British pilot and commander, argues in an interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service that with Russia outgunning Ukraine, Kyiv needs to fight "asymmetrically" to throw Russian President Vladimir Putin off balance and better its odds against Russia's invading force.
August 29, 2024
Interview: Ukraine's Bold Strike Into Russia Is A Tactical Win With Unclear Strategic Benefits

Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region has been "like a nuclear bomb" on the information front, but it's strategic value is questionable, argues Emil Kastehelmi, an OSINT analyst, in an interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service.
July 30, 2024
A Trump Election Win Could Signal 'Substantial Change' To U.S. Foreign Policy, Says Analyst

In an interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Professor William C. Wohlforth, an expert on U.S. foreign policy at Dartmouth College, said it's possible that Trump believes in "a grand bargain" with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
July 17, 2024
Interview: The Notion Of A Russia With Limitless Resources 'Is A Propaganda Picture'

Yekaterina Schulmann is an exiled Russian political scientist, professor, and commentator with a long history of outspokenness. She talked to RFE/RL recently about "power games" in Vladimir Putin's Russia, the Russian president as an "agent of chaos," and how he exploits Russian society.
July 16, 2024
Former NATO Assistant Secretary-General: We Shouldn't Be 'Carving Up Somebody Else's Country'

Patrick Turner, who served as the NATO assistant secretary-general from 2018 until 2022, discusses Ukraine's NATO candidacy and what to make of Donald Trump's statement that he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.
June 29, 2024
From Chasing Rats To Blood Baths: How Putin's Childhood Shaped His Leadership

Russian-American journalist Julia Ioffe recently launched a podcast about Vladimir Putin's childhood and spoke to RFE/RL's Georgian Service about how the Russian president's hard-scrabble early life shaped who he is today.
June 15, 2024
Interview: Russia's War On Ukraine Could Drag On For Years

Russia's war on Ukraine could drag on for years with neither side likely to achieve all its goals, argues Russia expert Mark Galeotti in an interview with RFE/RL's Vazha Tavberidze.
May 13, 2024
Interview: Putin Has Not Given Up On Erasing Ukraine 'As A State, A Concept, And A People'

Nataliya Bugayova of the Institute for the Study of War talks about Western wavering, Ukrainians' "will to fight" versus "defeatism," and what she believes is at stake in Ukraine for the United States.
April 15, 2024
Ukraine Will Become NATO Member, Predicts Former Deputy Secretary-General

As NATO approaches its 75th anniversary, the military alliance faces an "extraordinarily difficult moment" posed by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Rose Gottemoeller, a former NATO deputy secretary-general and senior U.S. diplomat.
March 27, 2024
Malcolm Nance: 'Always Listen To A Terrorist Group And Believe Them When They Confess'

RFE/RL's Georgian Service speaks to Malcolm Nance, a counterterrorism expert and former U.S. naval intelligence officer. Nance says Russia is culpable for the recent Moscow attack and that the Kremlin doesn't care whether it's telling the truth or not.
March 20, 2024
Historian Says Putin Has Slipped Up Geostrategically, Geoeconomically, And Geopolitically

Robert Service, a biographer of Soviet and Russian leaders, talked to RFE/RL about Vladimir Putin. While the Russian leader has shaped "an ideology of Russian patriotism that struck a chord with most Russians," he also failed on his interpretation of Ukrainian history.
March 18, 2024
Putin's Reelection Confirms Russia Is 'Authoritarian Society,' Says NATO Chief

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia's presidential election was "not free nor fair" and only confirms that Russia is "an authoritarian society."
March 18, 2024
Michael Clarke: If Ukraine Can Survive The Year, 'Pendulum Could Shift' Against Russia

From weapons shortages to Western fatigue, Ukraine faces more than a few hurdles against invading Russian forces. But Michael Clarke, a British defense and security expert, predicts the "pendulum could swing" against Russia in 2025.
March 10, 2024
With NATO 'Stuck,' Retired U.S. Colonel Says It's Time To Send EU Troops To Ukraine

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Alexander Crowther talks to RFE/RL's Georgian Service about his recent contention that if Ukraine loses its war with Russia, it is "time to send EU forces."
February 20, 2024
Interview: Latvia's President Says Ukraine Is Not Only Fighting For Us But 'Fighting Instead Of Us'

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics tells RFE/RL's Georgian Service that the narrative needs to change from supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes" to "we are going to support Ukraine to victory."
February 17, 2024
Interview: Putin's Strategic Mistake Was To Choose The West As An Enemy, Historian Says

Timothy Snyder, a history professor at Yale University, believes that Vladimir Putin will go down in history as a ruler who fundamentally weakened Russia, while Aleksei Navalny will be remembered for giving his life for his country.
February 17, 2024
Ex-Ambassador 'In Shock' After His Friend Navalny Reported Dead

U.S. Russia expert Michael McFaul said he was "in shock" after hearing about the death of Aleksei Navalny, whom he had considered a friend. The former U.S. ambassador to Russia spoke to RFE/RL in Munich on February 16, shortly after Russian authorities announced that Navalny had been found dead.

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