Ekho Kavkaza, RFE/RL’s Russian-Language Unit Covering Georgia and Its Occupied Territories, Closes

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 Svoboda, 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 last article on its website is dated April 30. The unit itself announced the closure on May 3.

In its statement, the outlet said its website “will no longer be updated, but it will remain available in archive mode. We hope that the materials collected over the years will continue to serve as a valuable source of information for everyone who continues to study our region.”

Note: This news article was updated on May 4 at 12:25 to include Ekho Kavkaza’s statement.