On April 25, a Facebook account known for frequently spreading false information published a video that, according to its claim, contains photos of people whose cause of death was the COVID-19 vaccine. The video shows that the photos were published in a Telegram group called “Georgians Who Died from COVID Vaccination.” The video description reads, “Georgians who died from the COVID vaccine – when will the Covid-fascists be held accountable for them?”
The claim that all the people shown in the video died as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine is disinformation. Myth Detector verified the causes of death of the individuals featured in the video using open sources and found that some died in unfortunate incidents, such as natural disasters or car accidents. Others died from severe illnesses that developed years earlier. Additionally, some of the individuals shown in the video were murdered, and their deaths are unrelated to vaccines or diseases.
It is possible to determine the cause of death for several individuals shown in the video circulating on social media. Their deaths were reported in the media or announced by family members. The video includes several publicly known figures: writers, journalists, politicians, and actors.
The photos were published in a Telegram group called “Georgians Who Died from COVID Vaccination.” In the past, photos from this same group were also shared with claims that the individuals had died due to vaccination. At that time, Myth Detector also investigated the causes of death and found that many of them had been manipulatively linked to vaccines. Several of the same individuals’ photos appeared again in the recently circulated video.
The video includes photos of several journalists: Lola Tumasyani from the Adjara Public Broadcaster, Keti Berdzenishvili, and Maritsa Kvantaliani from the First Channel of the Georgian Public Broadcaster. Notably, all three suffered from oncological diseases, and their deaths were related to those illnesses. People even raised funds for journalist Lola Tumasyan’s treatment, but she ultimately passed away in early 2025 after several years of battling the disease. Journalist Keti Berdzenishvili died in Turkey, where she had traveled for medical treatment. It’s worth noting that her family members requested an investigation into the causes of her death, and lawyers raised concerns that the cause may have been sepsis resulting from a surgical operation at Bokeria University Hospital, not cancer. As for Maritsa Kvantaliani of the Public Broadcaster’s First Channel, according to a family acquaintance, she died of cancer that doctors failed to detect in its early stages.
The video also features writer Zurab Karumidze and poet Zurab Rtveliashvili. Both died after prolonged illnesses – Karumidze in 2023 and Rtveliashvili in 2021. The latter was battling cancer.
Among those shown in the video, several individuals died in car accidents, and the information about these accidents circulated in the public domain. These include Luka Panchulidze, Saba Cheishvili, and Mariam Gvidiani. Media reports stated that Luka Panchulidze was hit by a car while walking and died. The sports outlet “Lelo” reported that rugby player Saba Cheishvili had been in a car accident a few days before his death. Another person whose death was falsely linked to the COVID-19 vaccine is 15-year-old model Marisha Gvidiani. She was a model with Geomodels Agency, which stated that she died in a car accident.
Some individuals shown in the video were murdered. For example, the death of Giorgi Mirzashvili is unrelated to the vaccine. He was murdered on January 18, 2023. Similarly, Levan Jangulashvili, whose photo was also included in the video, was found murdered in Tbilisi in early 2025.
The video also includes a photo of Giorgi Tukhvashvili, co-founder of the Georgian startup Kernel, who died in 2024 while skiing in Bakuriani. The COVID-19 vaccine had nothing to do with the death of Nana Janashia, former executive director of the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), who was killed by a lightning strike in 2023.
Another person whose photo was shared in the video is Davit Beriashvili. In 2023, a landslide in Shovi claimed dozens of lives, including Davit Beriashvili’s. Actor and singer Zviad Abashidze also died of unrelated causes. Reports from 2023 stated that he died in Russia while assisting the wounded on the Russian side during the Russia-Ukraine war. The death of Gia Kharchilava, former mayor of Tsalenjikha, was not related to vaccination either; reports indicate that he died of a blood clot. As for transgender woman Liza Kistauri, she died in Belgium, and there is no information suggesting that a vaccine caused her death.
Also included among the photos was former Georgian Dream MP Irakli Khakhubia. He was found dead at home two years ago and the case was investigated under the article of incitement to suicide.
Thus, the claim that the people shown in the circulated video died due to the COVID-19 vaccine is false. Verification of their identities and causes of death shows that many of them died under entirely different circumstances.
About the Source:
The account that attributes the deaths of hundreds of people to the COVID-19 vaccine is known for posting pro-Russian content in support of the political party “Alt-Info” on social media. Myth Detector has previously fact-checked multiple posts shared by Mamuka Qaijvareli-Jincharadze and labeled them as false information.
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
