will neal
@willneal.bsky.social
writer, investigative journalist | 2025 Livingston Award finalist, Amnesty Media Award shortlistee | 2024 John Schofield Trust fellow | contact via willneal.org/
Pinned
will neal
@willneal.bsky.social
· Mar 31
Moscow’s Ties to the Georgian Regime Ran Through Kensington and Chelsea
Leaked documents reveal how UK firm Hunnewell Partners, controlled by alleged enablers of Georgia’s ruling oligarch, facilitated a top Putin crony’s attempts to exploit the collapse of a more than $1....
bylinetimes.com
🚨NEW: Leaked corporate documents reveal Putin crony Roman Abramovich’s previously unreported ties to key “enablers” of Georgia’s ‘pro-Russian’ Ivanishvili regime.
Long 🧵on my latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social👇1/
bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
Long 🧵on my latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social👇1/
bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
When they kick you out of Georgia and you make it 9,000 miles to Argentina before the universe starts mocking you…
October 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
When they kick you out of Georgia and you make it 9,000 miles to Argentina before the universe starts mocking you…
EXCLUSIVE: A top attorney behind MAGA’s push to see Hunter Biden jailed for violating foreign influence laws was at the same time working for an abusive foreign regime that tried to buy sinister surveillance software in the U.S.
Latest for @thedailybeast
www.thedailybeast.com/magas-hunter...
Latest for @thedailybeast
www.thedailybeast.com/magas-hunter...
MAGA’s Hunter Biden Ukraine Bulldog Now Working for Foreign Spies
GOP lawyer Ted Kittila helped push claims of foreign influence peddling against Hunter Biden even as he worked for an abusive foreign regime.
www.thedailybeast.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:54 AM
EXCLUSIVE: A top attorney behind MAGA’s push to see Hunter Biden jailed for violating foreign influence laws was at the same time working for an abusive foreign regime that tried to buy sinister surveillance software in the U.S.
Latest for @thedailybeast
www.thedailybeast.com/magas-hunter...
Latest for @thedailybeast
www.thedailybeast.com/magas-hunter...
Reposted by will neal
When journalist @willneal.bsky.social was barred from #Georgia, his life was turned upside down. But for citizens, the country’s slide into violent authoritarianism has left them in a far more dangerous position. Read his account in our latest magazine issue ⬇️
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
October 23, 2025 at 2:37 PM
When journalist @willneal.bsky.social was barred from #Georgia, his life was turned upside down. But for citizens, the country’s slide into violent authoritarianism has left them in a far more dangerous position. Read his account in our latest magazine issue ⬇️
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
It’s been more than four months since I was expelled from Georgia with no word on a hearing date for my appeal. Here’s my latest for Index on Censorship about the ban, and what it says more broadly about the dire situation the country now finds itself in.
papyrus.exacteditions.com/issues/14183...
papyrus.exacteditions.com/issues/14183...
papyrus.exacteditions.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:47 AM
It’s been more than four months since I was expelled from Georgia with no word on a hearing date for my appeal. Here’s my latest for Index on Censorship about the ban, and what it says more broadly about the dire situation the country now finds itself in.
papyrus.exacteditions.com/issues/14183...
papyrus.exacteditions.com/issues/14183...
Spoke with Daniel Boffey for his @theguardian.com piece today on Hunnewell Partners. Good to see the issue getting more attention. Some links to my prior reporting on the group below.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Owner of Georgian broadcaster called country’s ‘propaganda megaphone’ is based in London
Imedi TV owner denies criticism by EU disinformation monitor and says it is editorially independent
www.theguardian.com
September 21, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Spoke with Daniel Boffey for his @theguardian.com piece today on Hunnewell Partners. Good to see the issue getting more attention. Some links to my prior reporting on the group below.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Reposted by will neal
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Article doesn't have much that's new for people following #Georgia & reading @willneal.bsky.social coverage of Imedi and Hunnewell but at least brings the malfeasance to an even wider audience.
Article doesn't have much that's new for people following #Georgia & reading @willneal.bsky.social coverage of Imedi and Hunnewell but at least brings the malfeasance to an even wider audience.
Owner of Georgian broadcaster called country’s ‘propaganda megaphone’ is based in London
Imedi TV owner denies criticism by EU disinformation monitor and says it is editorially independent
www.theguardian.com
September 21, 2025 at 8:49 AM
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Article doesn't have much that's new for people following #Georgia & reading @willneal.bsky.social coverage of Imedi and Hunnewell but at least brings the malfeasance to an even wider audience.
Article doesn't have much that's new for people following #Georgia & reading @willneal.bsky.social coverage of Imedi and Hunnewell but at least brings the malfeasance to an even wider audience.
Reposted by will neal
Pleased that our co-founder @nealysart.bsky.social
contributed to this deep dive by @theobserveruk.bsky.social
on #SpaceX investment fraud from @willneal.bsky.social
Scammers are leveraging AI & sophisticated tactics to defraud investors globally
#osint #investigations #investment #fraud #spaceX
contributed to this deep dive by @theobserveruk.bsky.social
on #SpaceX investment fraud from @willneal.bsky.social
Scammers are leveraging AI & sophisticated tactics to defraud investors globally
#osint #investigations #investment #fraud #spaceX
Elon Musk’s space unicorn has a scam problem | The Observer
Cybercriminals are stealing the identities of investment firms to con millions out of would-be SpaceX investors
observer.co.uk
September 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Pleased that our co-founder @nealysart.bsky.social
contributed to this deep dive by @theobserveruk.bsky.social
on #SpaceX investment fraud from @willneal.bsky.social
Scammers are leveraging AI & sophisticated tactics to defraud investors globally
#osint #investigations #investment #fraud #spaceX
contributed to this deep dive by @theobserveruk.bsky.social
on #SpaceX investment fraud from @willneal.bsky.social
Scammers are leveraging AI & sophisticated tactics to defraud investors globally
#osint #investigations #investment #fraud #spaceX
🚨NEW: Amid Musk’s turn to Dark MAGA, the rush for SpaceX shares has seen fraudsters mercilessly targeting investors with no means of buying into the firm’s success. My debut @theobserveruk.bsky.social, on how one group used AI to dupe victims out of millions.👇
observer.co.uk/news/busines...
observer.co.uk/news/busines...
Elon Musk’s space unicorn has a scam problem | The Observer
Cybercriminals are stealing the identities of investment firms to con millions out of would-be SpaceX investors
observer.co.uk
September 17, 2025 at 5:00 PM
🚨NEW: Amid Musk’s turn to Dark MAGA, the rush for SpaceX shares has seen fraudsters mercilessly targeting investors with no means of buying into the firm’s success. My debut @theobserveruk.bsky.social, on how one group used AI to dupe victims out of millions.👇
observer.co.uk/news/busines...
observer.co.uk/news/busines...
Reposted by will neal
the entire section is worth reading.
@blairmcdougall.com "The complaint of the democracy activists I used to work with is that all of this brutality is happening while the regime’s money is washed through business associates in London."
Hello @willneal.bsky.social !
No mincing of words there.
@blairmcdougall.com "The complaint of the democracy activists I used to work with is that all of this brutality is happening while the regime’s money is washed through business associates in London."
Hello @willneal.bsky.social !
No mincing of words there.
September 7, 2025 at 7:51 PM
the entire section is worth reading.
@blairmcdougall.com "The complaint of the democracy activists I used to work with is that all of this brutality is happening while the regime’s money is washed through business associates in London."
Hello @willneal.bsky.social !
No mincing of words there.
@blairmcdougall.com "The complaint of the democracy activists I used to work with is that all of this brutality is happening while the regime’s money is washed through business associates in London."
Hello @willneal.bsky.social !
No mincing of words there.
Reposted by will neal
Mamuka Mdinaradze, a key architect of Georgia's authoritarian shift, has just been appointed head of the state security service.
Last May, @willneal.bsky.social reported on the government unit funded by Western countries, before being used against them.
newlinesmag.com/reportage/na...
Last May, @willneal.bsky.social reported on the government unit funded by Western countries, before being used against them.
newlinesmag.com/reportage/na...
NATO Helped Georgia Counter Russian Trolls. Then the Strategy Backfired
As a previously successful communications initiative falls into disarray, the Black Sea country’s drift away from the West seems inexorable
newlinesmag.com
September 3, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Mamuka Mdinaradze, a key architect of Georgia's authoritarian shift, has just been appointed head of the state security service.
Last May, @willneal.bsky.social reported on the government unit funded by Western countries, before being used against them.
newlinesmag.com/reportage/na...
Last May, @willneal.bsky.social reported on the government unit funded by Western countries, before being used against them.
newlinesmag.com/reportage/na...
Reposted by will neal
A gripping exposé by @willneal.bsky.social unravels the billion-dollar legal intrigue linking oligarchs, offshore financiers, and sanctioned assets — all playing out in UK courts. A must-read for anyone curious about lawfare, kleptocracy, and shadow geopolitics
🚨NEW: Latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social with Josimar's Paul Brown, on how an Israeli tycoon, a shady Miami investment group, and a UK firm controlled by enablers of the Georgian regime became embroiled in a £1bn legal spat between powerful Russian business interests. 1/13
👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
Mystery at the Heart of £1 Billion UK Legal Offensive Against Top Putin Ally
A sanctioned former Kremlin politician was sued for shares in his multi-billion-dollar fertiliser company. But why did a trio of companies with links to Russian interests in football get involved?
shorturl.at
July 30, 2025 at 6:00 PM
A gripping exposé by @willneal.bsky.social unravels the billion-dollar legal intrigue linking oligarchs, offshore financiers, and sanctioned assets — all playing out in UK courts. A must-read for anyone curious about lawfare, kleptocracy, and shadow geopolitics
🚨NEW: Latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social with Josimar's Paul Brown, on how an Israeli tycoon, a shady Miami investment group, and a UK firm controlled by enablers of the Georgian regime became embroiled in a £1bn legal spat between powerful Russian business interests. 1/13
👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
Mystery at the Heart of £1 Billion UK Legal Offensive Against Top Putin Ally
A sanctioned former Kremlin politician was sued for shares in his multi-billion-dollar fertiliser company. But why did a trio of companies with links to Russian interests in football get involved?
shorturl.at
July 30, 2025 at 4:29 PM
🚨NEW: Latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social with Josimar's Paul Brown, on how an Israeli tycoon, a shady Miami investment group, and a UK firm controlled by enablers of the Georgian regime became embroiled in a £1bn legal spat between powerful Russian business interests. 1/13
👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
👉 shorturl.at/8hHYG
New report from the folks at Civic Idea on how Iranian companies appear to be using Georgian markets to circumvent international sanctions →
civicidea.ge/en/georgian-...
civicidea.ge/en/georgian-...
Georgian Dream’s anti-western policy: How Iranian companies are using Georgia to bypass sanctions - Civic Idea
HOW IRANIAN COMPANIES ARE USING GEORGIA TO BYPASS SANCTIONS? Civic IDEA’s latest investigation sheds light on a little-known but deeply troubling dimension of Iran-Georgia relations. The report exposes how Iranian businessmen are using Georgia as a strategic transit point to evade international sanctions and channel funds back to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our findings reveal […]
civicidea.ge
July 9, 2025 at 12:54 PM
New report from the folks at Civic Idea on how Iranian companies appear to be using Georgian markets to circumvent international sanctions →
civicidea.ge/en/georgian-...
civicidea.ge/en/georgian-...
Reposted by will neal
In the past, #Georgia was open to international press. In the last ten months, this, like so much else, has gone into full reverse.
Here is the story.
@clementgirardot.bsky.social @willneal.bsky.social
cpj.org/2025/07/geor...
Here is the story.
@clementgirardot.bsky.social @willneal.bsky.social
cpj.org/2025/07/geor...
Georgia increasingly blocks entry to Western journalists amid authoritarian turn - Committee to Protect Journalists
When British investigative journalist Will Neal was turned back at Georgia’s border with Armenia in May, he became the fifth of at least six European journalists in recent months to be denied entry in...
cpj.org
July 2, 2025 at 8:38 PM
In the past, #Georgia was open to international press. In the last ten months, this, like so much else, has gone into full reverse.
Here is the story.
@clementgirardot.bsky.social @willneal.bsky.social
cpj.org/2025/07/geor...
Here is the story.
@clementgirardot.bsky.social @willneal.bsky.social
cpj.org/2025/07/geor...
Reposted by will neal
🇬🇪A country once seen as the democratic bright spot of the post-Soviet space is now undergoing the fastest authoritarian regression in modern European history.
🧵Here’s a thread to keep you updated on what’s happening - and why it matters.
1/23
🧵Here’s a thread to keep you updated on what’s happening - and why it matters.
1/23
June 10, 2025 at 7:28 PM
🇬🇪A country once seen as the democratic bright spot of the post-Soviet space is now undergoing the fastest authoritarian regression in modern European history.
🧵Here’s a thread to keep you updated on what’s happening - and why it matters.
1/23
🧵Here’s a thread to keep you updated on what’s happening - and why it matters.
1/23
Reposted by will neal
When the Epstein files enter the chat…you know the bromance may actually be over…
June 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
When the Epstein files enter the chat…you know the bromance may actually be over…
Oh nothing, just the world’s most divorced man casually finding out why they call it regretamine.
June 5, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Oh nothing, just the world’s most divorced man casually finding out why they call it regretamine.
Reposted by will neal
#Georgia 🇬🇪 British journalist Will Neal investigated Georgian power circles and was expelled from the country following a smear campaign against him by pro-government politicians. @rsf.org tells his story.
Georgia: British journalist subjected to smear campaign, then expelled from country - IFEX
"Will Neal’s case marks a new stage in the repression of foreign journalists in Georgia and clearly illustrates the authorities’ rejection of any independent journalistic scrutiny of power…
buff.ly
May 30, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by will neal
Freelance British Journalist @willneal.bsky.social Denied Entry to Georgia
Find out more 👉 go.coe.int/nYCUw
Alert submitted by @globalfreemedia.bsky.social & JFJ
#EuropeForFreeMedia
Photo: social media
Find out more 👉 go.coe.int/nYCUw
Alert submitted by @globalfreemedia.bsky.social & JFJ
#EuropeForFreeMedia
Photo: social media
May 28, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Freelance British Journalist @willneal.bsky.social Denied Entry to Georgia
Find out more 👉 go.coe.int/nYCUw
Alert submitted by @globalfreemedia.bsky.social & JFJ
#EuropeForFreeMedia
Photo: social media
Find out more 👉 go.coe.int/nYCUw
Alert submitted by @globalfreemedia.bsky.social & JFJ
#EuropeForFreeMedia
Photo: social media
Reposted by will neal
🇬🇪 Georgia has shown a growing pattern of denying entry to Western journalists, including those critical of the Russian government. The latest case involves British journalist @willneal.bsky.social, who was barred from entering the country without explanation after reporting on Russian links 1/3
May 28, 2025 at 12:23 AM
🇬🇪 Georgia has shown a growing pattern of denying entry to Western journalists, including those critical of the Russian government. The latest case involves British journalist @willneal.bsky.social, who was barred from entering the country without explanation after reporting on Russian links 1/3
Reposted by will neal
🇬🇪🇬🇧A must-read investigation by @willneal.bsky.social in Byline Times:
How Hunnewell Partners, a UK firm tied to Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly facilitated Kremlin-linked financial schemes through London’s elite circles.
bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
How Hunnewell Partners, a UK firm tied to Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly facilitated Kremlin-linked financial schemes through London’s elite circles.
bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
Moscow’s Ties to the Georgian Regime Ran Through Kensington and Chelsea
Leaked documents reveal how UK firm Hunnewell Partners, controlled by alleged enablers of Georgia’s ruling oligarch, facilitated a top Putin crony’s attempts to exploit the collapse of a more than $1....
bylinetimes.com
May 24, 2025 at 8:54 AM
🇬🇪🇬🇧A must-read investigation by @willneal.bsky.social in Byline Times:
How Hunnewell Partners, a UK firm tied to Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly facilitated Kremlin-linked financial schemes through London’s elite circles.
bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
How Hunnewell Partners, a UK firm tied to Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, allegedly facilitated Kremlin-linked financial schemes through London’s elite circles.
bylinetimes.com/2025/03/31/m...
Reposted by will neal
Terrible news that @willneal.bsky.social has been barred entry to Georgia, his home, because of his tireless reporting on money and power. The Georgian authorities should reverse themselves immediately.
rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org/en/between-h...
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
rsf.org
May 24, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Terrible news that @willneal.bsky.social has been barred entry to Georgia, his home, because of his tireless reporting on money and power. The Georgian authorities should reverse themselves immediately.
rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org/en/between-h...
Reposted by will neal
"5th European journalist expelled from #Georgia in 7 months: Will Neal, a resident of Tbilisi since 2022, was refused entry on May 20 after being the target of a hate campaign in response to one of his investigations. RSF is calling for this arbitrary ban to be lifted."
5e journaliste européen refoulé de #Géorgie en 7 mois : résident à Tbilissi depuis 2022, le 🇬🇧 Will Neal s’est vu refuser l’entrée sur le territoire le 20 mai, après avoir fait l'objet d'une campagne de haine en réaction à l’une de ses enquêtes. RSF demande la levée de cette interdiction arbitraire.
May 23, 2025 at 6:14 PM
"5th European journalist expelled from #Georgia in 7 months: Will Neal, a resident of Tbilisi since 2022, was refused entry on May 20 after being the target of a hate campaign in response to one of his investigations. RSF is calling for this arbitrary ban to be lifted."
Reposted by will neal
5e journaliste européen refoulé de #Géorgie en 7 mois : résident à Tbilissi depuis 2022, le 🇬🇧 Will Neal s’est vu refuser l’entrée sur le territoire le 20 mai, après avoir fait l'objet d'une campagne de haine en réaction à l’une de ses enquêtes. RSF demande la levée de cette interdiction arbitraire.
May 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM
5e journaliste européen refoulé de #Géorgie en 7 mois : résident à Tbilissi depuis 2022, le 🇬🇧 Will Neal s’est vu refuser l’entrée sur le territoire le 20 mai, après avoir fait l'objet d'une campagne de haine en réaction à l’une de ses enquêtes. RSF demande la levée de cette interdiction arbitraire.
Reposted by will neal
British journalist Will Neal was denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the UK and EU, Reporters Without Borders said, condemning the decision as arbitrary and political, calling for its reversal.
British Journalist Denied Entry to Georgia - Civil Georgia
British journalist Will Neal was denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon retu
civil.ge
May 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
British journalist Will Neal was denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the UK and EU, Reporters Without Borders said, condemning the decision as arbitrary and political, calling for its reversal.