Publication:  N16 / Review period: December 1-31, 2021 /Author: Ani Zirakashvili

Review of the Activities of the Russian Military Forces in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali 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, 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

Fight Against COVID-19

• A multidisciplinary mobile hospital in Abkhazia sent by the Russian Ministry of Defense completed operation on December 13. The field hospital was deployed in Sokhumi on August 18. It provided inpatient treatment to 649 patients and outpatient treatment to over 1,500 people. The hospital performed over 10,500 examinations, including more than 4,000 PCR tests. According to the latest data, 37,456 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection were reported in Abkhazia. The de facto President, Aslan Bzhania, said that the field hospital would resume the operation in Abkhazia in two months.

Multi-Disciplinary Hospital. Source:  structure.mil

Other Events

• On December 14, Russian sappers completed demining of the territory of the Sokhumi Airport. The work involved 14 military servicemen who cleared a total of 7 ha area. Among the items found were anti-tank mines, ammunition of various calibers, artillery shells, etc. which were disposed on the spot.
• Snipers of the 49th Combined Arms Army started preparations for the Sniper Frontier competition at the Nagvalou military training ground. The competition will be held as part of the 8th International Army Games in 2022. In total, the servicemen completed over 30 tasks, including combat shooting at a 100, 500 and 800 meters distance.

Russian Military Forces in the Tskhinvali Region

Fight Against COVID-19           

• Doctors are trying to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection at the 4th military base. Military servicemen are being revaccinated, personnel are constantly monitored by medical specialists, and RCB (radiation, chemical, biological) protection specialists treat office and residential buildings with a special disinfectant solution. According to the latest data, 10,177 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection were reported in the Tskhinvali region.

Other Events

• The de facto armed forces of the Tskhinvali region started combat exercises in accordance with the command training schedule. The commander of the Artillery Battalion of the 4th military base, Major Eropolov, delivered a lecture to Ossetian military servicemen on the “use of air defenses in general warfare.”
• On December 21, it was reported that an avalanche came down in the vicinity of the Roki tunnel and submerged barracks of the 4th military base with five Russian soldiers who were guarding the tunnel. Rescuers pulled from snow four servicemen and transferred to the Tskhinvali hospital where two of them later died. On December 23, rescuers found the fifth soldier dead in an avalanche.

Searching and Rescuing Operation. Source:  sputnik-ossetia.ru

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.