Publication:  N6 / Review period: February 1-28, 2021 /Author: Ani Zirakashvili

Review of the Russian Military Forces’ Activities 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 trainings of the military forces of the Russian Federation deployed in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region and as well as other important events related to the Russian 7th and 4th military bases in these regions. The review is a monthly publication and will be useful for everyone – decision-makers, public employees, media representatives and other people who are interested in the activities of the Russian military forces in the occupied regions of Georgia.

Russian Military Forces in Abkhazia

Military Exercises

In February, military units of the 7th military base of the Russian Federation in Abkhazia participated in various military exercises:

• Exercises to fight against UAVs of a conditional enemy was held at the Nagvalou and Tsebelda military training grounds.  The exercises involved up to 500 servicemen and more than 150 units of weapons, combat, and special equipment.
• At the Nagvalou and Tsebelda military training grounds, military servicemen of different units practiced defensive actions against a conditional enemy. The exercise involved more than 500 servicemen and about 200 units of combat equipment.
• At the Nagvalou and Tsebelda military training grounds, military servicemen of different units practiced combat shootings. The exercise involved up to 1,000 military personnel and more than 200 units of combat equipment.
• At the Nagvalou and Tsebelda military training grounds, radio-electronic warfare specialists destroyed UAVs of a conditional enemy. The exercise involved up to 500 servicemen and more than 150 units of special equipment.
• Anti-aircraft gunners worked out reconnaissance, capture, escort, and destruction of conditional air targets. The exercise involved more than 200 servicemen and 40 units of combat equipment, including the Strela-10 and the Osa-AKM anti-aircraft missile systems.
• At the Tsebelda, Nagvalou and Gudauta military training grounds, exercises in combat shootings involved up to 3,000 servicemen and more than 150 units of military equipment, including the Strelets modern reconnaissance complexes.
• As part of exercises, artillery unit eliminated a conditional enemy using the D-30 howitzers. The exercises involved more than 500 military servicemen and up to 100 units of combat equipment.

Other events

• On February 9, Russian pop, theater and movie artists visited the 7th military base of the Russian Federation in Abkhazia and performed a concert program for military personnel.
• The “Южный Медиа-АС-2021” military press competition was announced in the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation, in which Abkhazian journalists will also participate. The competition will cover various aspects of military activities. As it was later announced journalists from the Tskhinvali region will also join the competition.
• Guard and sniffer dogs are being trained at the 7th military base. After the training, the dogs will be transferred to checkpoints to guard the military base facilities.
• On February 15, military personnel took part in the Become a Donor campaign and donated 400 ml of blood to the Central Blood Bank of the Sokhumi Republican Hospital.
• A total of 64 military servicemen of the 7th military base received apartments. The apartments are well-accommodated, equipped with household appliances and furniture.

Russian Military Forces in the Tskhinvali Region

Military Exercises

In February, military units of the Russian 4th military base in the Tkshinvali region participated in various military exercises:

• Military servicemen used quadrocopter-type UAVs to eliminate a conditional enemy. The exercise involved up to 500 military servicemen and over 50 units of combat equipment. 
• As part of exercises, a reconnaissance unit used quadrocopter-type UAVs to detect groups of a conditional enemy and conducted search-and-rescue operations in mountainous terrain.
• As part of exercises, RCB (radiation, chemical, biological) protection specialists conducted reconnaissance, overcame radiation-contaminated area, eliminated a conditional enemy, etc. Military personnel used the new Perunit-V satellite navigators for the first time.
• Snipers exercised to covertly move into unfamiliar territory, eliminate a conditional enemy, and camouflage with improvised natural means. The mentioned exercise was organized as a competition.

Military-political cooperation

• During his visit to the Tskhinvali region, Konstantin Kosachev, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal Council of the Russian Federation, stated that the Russian Duma intends to ratify the March 2020 agreement with the Tskhinvali region on mutual recognition of the disability status of discharged military personnel.
• On February 10, the Russian Federation and the Tskhinvali region signed a joint agreement on mutual recognition of the seniority of military service. The agreement envisages salary and pension supplements for contract soldiers.

Other events

• Within the framework of the preparations for the 7th International Army Games (Army-2021), the first qualifying round of the Tank Biathlon competition was held on February 4. Th epreparations for the second round ended on February 18. Snipers are also preparing for the Army-2021 and  performed combat shootings from various types of weapons, as well as passed a 1 km route full of various obstacles.
• The day of Internationalist Soldiers was commemorated on February 15.  On this day, the Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan. During the ceremony, a wreath of flowers was laid at the Memorial of victims of the war. The de facto President, Anatoly Bibilov, and the Russian “ambassador,” Marat Kulakhmetov, attended the event.
• Military servicemen from the 4th and 7th military bases of the Russian Federation in the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia took part in the Judo Championship, which was held in Maykop, Russia.

Events Related to the Defender of the Fatherland Day

The Defender of the Fatherland Day was established in 1922 and is associated with the Red Army. It was called the Soviet Army and Navy Day until 1993. Today the event is celebrated in Russia and other CIS on February 23.

Abkhazia

• Yunarmiya cadets congratulated military medics of a field hospital on the Defender of the Fatherland Day. The Military Doctors through the Eyes of a Child drawing competition, with participation of children of military servicemen, was held at the 7th military base of the Russian Federation. The best works were handed over to the doctors of the field hospital.
• Tankmen of the military base demonstrated modern military equipment to Yunarmiya cadets. The guests got acquainted with the T-72B3 tanks and the MKT-188A mobile complex simulators.
• During a historical-patriotic excursion, over 500 servicemen of the military base visited up to 15 historical sites.
• The de facto President, Aslan Bzhania, congratulated the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on the Defender of the Fatherland Day and noted that military-technical cooperation with Russia is one of the priority directions for the de facto government of Abkhazia.
• Military medics of a field hospital were awarded departmental medals and diplomas of the de facto Ministry of Défense of Abkhazia. Representatives of the de facto government of Abkhazia, as well as the Counsellor of the Russian “embassy,” Vladislav Nechiporenko, attended the ceremony.

The Tskhinvali region

• Military servicemen conducted a lesson of courage for students in grades 9-11 of the Tskhinvali region N6 school. They talked about military service, the importance of patriotism, the history of the establishment of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, etc.
• An open day was held at the 4th military base. Military servicemen demonstrated military equipment and armament to students of the Tskhinvali N6 school, as well as completed some standards of combat training.
• The Simdi “state” ensemble of the Tskhinvali region gave a concert at the 4th military. The concert was a kind of gift from the de facto President, Anatoly Bibilov, to military servicemen and their families. Marat Kulakhmetov, the Russian “ambassador,” attended the event.
• On February 23, in addition to the Defender of the Fatherland Day, the 28th anniversary of the formation of the de facto Ministry of Defense was also marked in the Tskhinvali region, where the ceremonial opening of the Memorial Complex Military Glory took place. The complex contains a capsule with a message for future generations. The capsule will be opened on November 17, 2042.
• Ibragim Gaseev, the de facto Minister of Défense, and Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister, exchanged congratulations on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Covid-19 and the Occupied Regions of Georgia

According to the latest data, more than 12800 cases of Covid-19 virus infection have been reported in the de facto republic of Abkhazia. In the Tskhinvali region, the number of laboratory-confirmed cases totals 3040. Due to the aggravated epidemiological situation and the lack of medical resources, the de facto governments of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region appealed to Russia for help. The Russian Federation promptly provided various types of assistance to these regions.

Abkhazia

• The vaccination second phase started. Over 500 people, mainly servicemen of the 7th military base and their families, received the second component of the Sputnik V vaccine.
• On February 12, a batch of more than 3,500 doses of the Russian vaccine was delivered to Abkhazia. On February 17, the de facto republic received additional 3,000 doses. The vaccination is voluntary and is made with written consent.
• Aleksey Dvinianin, the Russian “ambassador,” awarded the head and the deputy head of the multidisciplinary mobile hospital in Sokhumi with honorary diplomas.
• The multidisciplinary mobile hospital was due to close on 15 February; however, at the request of the de facto Ministry of Health, the field hospital continues to operate. As of February 26, the hospital has performed more than 5000 PCR tests, provided impatient treatment for up to 500 patients and outpatient-consulting assistance to over 3000 people. At this stage, 15 patients are being treated at the hospital.

The Tskhinvali region

• On February 12, the Tskhinvali region also received additional batch of the Russian vaccine. Military personnel of a medical unit and commanders of the 4th military base are involved in the vaccination process. The vaccination is voluntary and is made with written consent. All vaccinated military servicemen are under the supervision of doctors for 30 minutes.
• The vaccination started for military servicemen participating in the Victory Parade. Over 2,000 soldiers from the Southern Military District will attend the parade, which is dedicated to the 76th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
• As of February 28, over 1,000 military personnel have already been vaccinated.

After the August 2008 war, Russian occupation forces were deployed in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. In 2010, Russia signed agreements with the de facto republics of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region on the deployment of combined Russian military bases on the territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region for the next 49 years. The Russian 7th military base is located on the territory of Abkhazia, and the Russian 4th military base in the Tskhinvali region. Both regions are part of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation.