Publication: N1 / Review period: January-March, 2021 /Author: Ani Zirakashvili

Review of Russia’s Soft Power in Abkhazia and the Tkshinvali Region is being prepared within the framework of the project - Roadmap to the Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region. The purpose of the publication is to review important developments related to Russia's soft power in these regions and activities that the Kremlin uses to strengthen its influence in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. The review is a quarterly publication and will be useful for everyone – decision-makers, public employees, media representatives and other people who are interested in the Kremlin’s policy in the occupied regions of Georgia.

Russia’s Soft Power in Abkhazia

Education

• Russia donated 300 books to the “National” Library of Abkhazia. As early as October 2020, the Director of the “National” Library of the de facto republic, Boris Cholaria, took part in the XIII All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference, where he spoke about the lack of books. At the end of the conference it was proposed to replenish the Library of Abkhazia.
• Registration for admission to Russian universities began on January 20. A total of 52 places were allocated for Abkhaz entrants. Registration was due to finish on February 20, though the deadline was later extended to March 15. Representatives of the Rossotrudnichestvo offices in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region were actively involved in the selection process. The three most in-demand faculties were medicine, economics and law.
• The A. Griboedov International Institute of International Law and Economics and the de facto Ministry of Tourism of Abkhazia signed a cooperation agreement on February 21. The agreement allows Abkhaz students to study tourism in Russia.
• Specialists of the Department of  Youth and Sports Affairs of the Sokhumi de facto Administration and students of the Abkhazian “State” University took part in master classes and trainings. The master classes and trainings were held in Krasnodar, the Russian Federation, within the framework of the Regional Policy and Development of Civil Society program. The program is aimed at strengthening  good neighborly relations between the young generations of Russia and the de facto republic of Abkhazia.

Culture

• On March 3, five documentaries about the Great Patriotic War were premiered in Abkhazia. The films are about five veterans of the Great Patriotic War, each film tells a story of one veteran. The documentaries are dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, and were funded by the Department of External Economic and International Relations of Moscow.

Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations

• Vadim Chekha, the Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo office in Abkhazia, summarized results of the competition - What do I know about the country in which I live and study. A total of 128 schoolchildren participated in the competition. Among the topics of discussion was the Russian-Abkhazian historical and cultural heritage.
• On the Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Rossotrudnichestvo office held an online chess tournament. A total of 22 people participated in the tournament. All distinguished participants of the tournament received memorable books.
• On February 1, a public headquarters in support of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, was set up in the office of the Abkhaz Black Sea Cossack Host and the Russian Community of Abkhazia. A total of 15 organizations joined the public headquarters, including the Akzaara Republican Party, the Trade Union Committee, the ERA-ISTOK Council of Veterans, etc.
• Organizations of Russian compatriots in Abkhazia were awarded commemorative medals and diplomas on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, for their contribution to fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic and assisting  socially vulnerable population in 2020.
• As planned, a Public Advisory Council for Russian Compatriot will be set up to unite the Russian community in Abkhazia, create equal conditions for Russian compatriots and promote Russian-Abkhaz cooperation at all levels. The Russian “ambassador” Aleksey Dvinianin  supported the initiative.

Russia’s Soft Power in the Tskhinvali Region

Education

• In the Tskhinvali region, registration for the admission to Russian universities began on January 20 and later was extended to March 15. A total of 18 places were allocated for entrants from the Tskhinvali region. Registration was online - applicants uploaded documents, selected universities, and underwent tests.
• On February 1, a commission selecting entrants for admission to Russian universities developed a statute for the selection process and a schedule of the campaign activities. The commission is chaired by Sergey Skvortsov.
• A meeting between the “ambassador” of the Tskhinvali region to Russia, Znaur Gassiev, and the interim rector of the Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), Andrei Keller, was held on March 16. The parties discussed the prospects of cooperation with the so-called “state” University of South Ossetia. A delegation of the University visited the Tskhinvali region schools on March 30. The visit was aimed at informing entrants and presenting a competition – All Roads Lead to MADI.

Culture

• On March 3, the Association of Teachers of the Russian Language and Literature announced a competition - I am the Ambassador of the Russian World. The competition is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the creation of the pedagogical community of South Ossetian Russianists. All those who love the Russian language and culture are invited to participate. The results will be announced on May 23.
• The Zilakhar dance ensemble of the Tskhinvali N1 public school won the first place at the choreographic festival in Rostov-on-Don (Russia).
• On March 24, on the International Poetry Day,  the Tskhinvali N6 School hosted the Pushkin Ball. The event was organized with the support of the center of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. The Russian “ambassador,” Marat Kulakhmetov, representatives of the Rossotrudnichestvo office, and others attended the event.

Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations

• On February 26, the Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo office, Sergey Skvortsov, held a press-conference, where he said that the mission would seek to attract Russian investors to the region and strengthen business ties, as well as work to raise awareness of the humanitarian activities of the Soviet Union and Russia.
• On February 23, on the Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Rossotrudnichestvo office organized an art competition. Schoolchildren, teachers, and children of military servicemen of the 4th military base took part in the competition.
• An official presentation of a center of the Russkiy Mir Foundation was held on February 26.  The center was established at the A. Tibilov “State” University of South Ossetia. Julieta Ostaeva, the university associate professor of the department of the Russian language, was appointed as the head of the center.

Official Presentation of the Center of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.

• On March 12, the Maslinitsa Russian holiday was marked at the Rossotrudnichestvo office in the Tskhinvali region. The holiday celebrates the arrival of spring. The ceremony was attended by non-governmental organizations, representatives of the Russian “embassy,” etc.
• The Rossotrudnichestvo office organized a children's competition, where they recited children's poems, talked about the Soviet children's poetess Agnia Barto, and the Great Patriotic War. In his speech, Sergey Skvortsov urged children to actively study Russian poetry.

Celebrating Historical Dates

• A presentation of the 18th issue of the Russian Word in South Ossetia magazine was held on the 100th anniversary of the “Ossetian Genocide.“ Anatoly Bibilov, Marat Kulakhmetov, Sergey Skvortsov, and others attended the presentation.
• Servicemen of the 4th military base held an open lesson in schools of Tskhinvali. The lesson was dedicated to the end of the siege of Leningrad. The military spoke about the Great Patriotic War and the contribution of the Soviet Union to the defeat of Nazi Germany, as well as about the joint struggle of Russia and the Tskhinvali region against a common enemy, including Georgia. The students were presented with commemorative postcards with an inscription “South Ossetia and Russia – brothers forever!”
• On the Defender of the Fatherland Day, military servicemen of the 4th military base conducted a lesson of courage for schoolchildren in grades 9-11. The soldiers talked about the military service, importance of patriotism and history of the origin of the above-mentioned holiday.

Other Events

• Marat Kulakhmetov  awarded two employees of the Immortal Regiment, Zhana Zaseeva and Valery Bibilov, with medals on behalf of Vladimir Putin. These two made a significant contribution to the search for the missing in the Great Patriotic War and in the course of events to mark the 75th anniversary of the war. The Immortal Regiment is an international public-patriotic movement and was founded in 2012 in Tomsk (Russia). The movement is aimed at preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War.
• On February 15, on the Internationalist Soldiers day, a wreath of flowers was laid at the memorial. Anatoly Bibilov, Marat Kulakhmetov, military personnel, and schoolchildren attended the event.

Russia’s soft power is an instrument of the foreign policy, which the Kremlin actively uses to increase its influence abroad, including in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. Offices of the Federal Agency for CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs ensure the implementation of Russia’s soft power policy in the occupied regions of Georgia. Vadim Chekha is the Head of the Agency office in Abkhazia and Sergey Skvortsov – the Head of the Agency office in the Tskhinvali region.