MagtiCom’s Comment
MagtiCom’s Comment Regarding the Sanctions Imposed by the United Kingdom on February 24, 2026
The aforementioned issue should be considered within the framework of both Georgian legislation (the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting) and United Kingdom legislation (The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019).
Primary Content of the Imposed Sanctions:
Sanctions Regime Name:
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (Unique ID: RUS3393)
Imposed Sanctions:
Asset freeze, director disqualification sanction, trust services sanctions.
UK Statement of Reasons:
The Secretary of State considers that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that "Imedi TV" is an "involved person" under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, on the basis of the following ground: it spreads and has spread deliberately misleading information concerning Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to its audience, which are predominately located in Georgia, which provides support for or promotes a policies or actions which destabilizes Ukraine or undermines or threatens the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or independence of Ukraine. In particular, it regularly disseminates content that the Ukrainian Government and President Zelenskyy are illegitimate, Ukraine is a "puppet" of the West, Ukraine is a corrupt country and that Ukraine and the West are seeking to destabilize Georgia.
Who Must Comply with Sanctions Regulations?
If you do any business that involves transactions, financial services, trading, suppluing professional services, or insurance, you could be dealing with sanctioned individuals or organizations, or with sanctioned goods and services.
Sanctions regulations apply to:
• any individual, business or organisation undertaking activities anywhere in the UK (including the territorial sea)
• any business or organisation incorporated or constituted under the law of any part of the UK undertaking activities anywhere in the world
• any UK national, wherever they are in the world
Who needs to comply with financial sanctions?
UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world. This means that:
• All individuals and legal entities who are within or undertake activities within the UK’s territory must comply with UK financial sanctions that are in force
• All UK nationals and legal entities established under UK law, including their branches, must also comply with UK financial sanctions that are in force, irrespective of where their activities take place
The effect of director disqualification sanctions
Unless a licence has been issued or there is an exception in place, individuals who are subject to director disqualification sanctions are banned directly or indirectly from:
• being a director of a UK company
• being a director of a foreign company that has sufficient connection to the UK, even if it is not registered here. For example, if it carries out business or has assets here
• taking part in or being concerned in the promotion, formation or management of a company
Anyone contravening a director disqualification sanction is committing a criminal offence.
View the full list here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list#full-publication-update-history
Article 401 of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting regulates relations related to the transit of broadcasting. For instance, according to its first paragraph:
“The Public Broadcaster, a community broadcaster, a general over-the-air and/or satellite broadcaster authorised under this Law, which broadcast within the service area of a person authorised to transit broadcasting (for the purposes of this article, the broadcasting area for a satellite broadcaster is the entire territory of the country), as well as an authorised general over-the-air broadcaster, the broadcasting of which is available to at least 20% of the population as a result of over-the-air broadcasting, may demand from a person, authorised to transit broadcasting, to place their TV channels in all packages offered to consumers ('must carry'). In this case, the right of the broadcaster shall not be permitted to charge persons authorised to transit broadcasting with a fee for the transit of the broadcaster’s signal.”
View Article 401of the Law of Georgia on Broadcasting in full: https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/32866?publication=81
Based on the above, we believe that the public and all interested entities, including experts, will have a clear and complete understanding of the issue regarding which contradictory information has been circulating recently.