Publication: N4 / Review Period: January 1-31, 2023

The review is being prepared within the framework of the Roadmap to the Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region project. The purpose of the review is to provide readers with information about main events and trends in the occupied regions of Georgia. The review is a monthly publication and will be useful for decision-makers, public employees, media representatives and other people who are interested in the developments taking place in the occupied regions of Georgia.

Abkhazia

Who “Disrupted” the 57th Round of the Geneva Discussions?

According to the de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia, the regular 57th round of the Geneva International Discussions which was scheduled on February 21-22, 2023, was cancelled again. As the de facto Ministry reports, this is not the first time when the Co-Chairs (UN, OSCE, EU) of the Discussions make a unilateral decision to cancel or postpone the negotiation round. As per a decision of the de facto Ministry, due to the created situation, the delegation of the Co-Chairs whose visit was planned on February 8-9, will no longer be allowed on the territory of the de facto republic of Abkhazia. Last year, only one of the four planned rounds was held. Russia and the occupied regions accuse the West of disrupting the rounds of the Discussions. Maria Zakharova, the Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, said that the Co-Chairs’ decision “is a continuation of the destructive line of the West aimed at blocking the work of the Geneva Discussions.”

“Multipolarity” – a New Project

A new project – “Multipolarity” was launched with the support of the de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia. The goal of the project is to inform the Abkhaz society about the current processes in the world. The author of the project is Edgar Gvazava, the Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Inal Ardzinba.

A cycle of interviews with prominent experts will be held within the framework of the project. The first interview with Yevgeny Primakov has already taken place. Primakov is the Head of the Federal Agency for CIS States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs (Russian House) and is responsible for the implementation of Russia's “soft power.” In addition to interviews, Edgar Gvazava also publishes articles of analytical content about current developments in the world on the project Telegram channel.

Energy Crisis and Russia’s Assistance

The year 2023 started with an energy crisis in the occupied Abkhazia and due to the drop in the water level in the Enguri HPP the electricity supply schedule was set from January 18. To overcome the crisis, Abkhazia will receive 600 million kWh of electricity from Russia in the period from January 1 to March 31. The main reasons for the shortage are outdated electrical networks, low water level in the Jvari reservoir and increased electricity consumption in winter. According to the de facto Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy, Kristina Ozgan, there is also a problem with collecting taxes for the consumed electricity which is due to the lack of individual meters.

Who did Bzhania Meet in Moscow?

On January 17, after a long pause, the de facto President of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, appeared and spoke about the issues of the socio-economic development in 2023. According to Bzhania, he was in Russia during the New Year period where he discussed a number of issues with Russian high-ranking officials; however, no information is available about these meetings on the de facto President’s web-page, Bzhania also didn’t specify with whom he met. The only information which was publicly disseminated concerns a meeting held on December 26 with Abkhaz businessmen working in Moscow.

New “Traitor”

The de facto Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal case against Ruslan Gamisonia who is accused of “illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Abkhazia” and “making public appeals through mass media to carry out actions against the territorial integrity and inviolability of Abkhazia.” According to the so-called Prosecutor's Office, Gamisonia illegally crossed the “border” in June 2022 and moved to the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities. In August of the same year, on a Tik Tok social network page registered under the name of Daur Buava, he made statements against Abkhazia. According to the so-called Prosecutor's Office, Gamisonia was previously convicted of premeditated murder and rape and lewd acts against two Russian citizens.

In 2022, a 28-year-old Daur Buava who became a citizen of Georgia last year, was accused of “betrayal of the Abkhaz state.”

Death of a “Thief in Law”

In the Sokhumi hospital, the so-called thief in law Tengiz Lakerbaya (alias Tenguliash) died. He was one of the most influential criminal authorities in Abkhazia whose name was associated with the murder of two criminal authorities and one restaurant employee in the San Remo restaurant in 2019. He was also assaulted on November 21, 2021; however, escaped death.

Tskhinvali Region

IPRM 110th Meeting in Ergneti

On January 17, the 110th meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in the village of Ergneti, the Gori municipality. Representatives of the Tskhinvali region traditionally spoke about the violation of the “airspace” of the de facto republic by unmanned aerial vehicles and the issue of the Georgian police checkpoint in the village of Chorchana. The meeting mentioned the issue of supplying the villages occupied by the Georgian side (Tsinagara and surrounding villages) with irrigation water in which participants of the meeting agreed to continue cooperation. The next meeting will be held on March 2. Last year, Ergneti hosted six meetings the framework of IPRM.

Meeting in Ergneti

Medical Treatment “Outside the Republic”

On January 10, a fire broke out in a residential house in Tskhinvali. As a result of the accident two people died and three (a mother and two minor children) were taken to the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities for medical treatment. Later, mother died in the hospital. It is interesting that the Ossetian media does not mention where the mother and children underwent medical treatment, it only says that they were transferred “outside the republic.”

In this regard, a noteworthy fact happened in the occupied Akhalgori region, where parents refused to treat their young child in a local hospital. While the transfer, the child died on the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities. An extraordinary meeting was convened with the participation of the de facto President, Alan Gagloyev, and the de facto Minister of Health and Social Development, Agunda Plieva. According to a chief doctor of the Akhalgori district hospital, the parents were offered treatment at a local hospital, with the condition of transferring the child to the Tskhinvali multidisciplinary medical center, however, the parents refused the offer.

Similar facts are not isolated cases in the Tskhinvali region. The degree of mistrust towards the local healthcare system is high and that’s why the population living in the occupied region, not only ethnic Georgians, are eager to continue medical treatment on the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities; however, due to bureaucratic barriers, there are frequent cases of patients delayed transportation, sometimes with fatal results. The occupied region considers a visit for medical purposes to the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities as an instrument of Tbilisi's “soft power,” but in the absence of any other alternative, the de facto authorities are forced to accept such facts. They consider that “going to Tbilisi for medical treatment” is also a matter of “national security” and requires an adequate response, which means improving medical services at the local level and solving problems related to receiving medical treatment in Russia.

Inal Jabiev’s Case - a New Arrest

The de facto Prosecutor's Office of the Tskhinvali region arrested the former Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Criminal Police of the de facto Ministry of Internal Affairs, Jumber Bibilov. The case of Inal Jabiev is considered as a black spot for the former de facto President, Anatoly Bibilov, which damaged his reputation. The re-investigation of Jabiev's case was started in October last year. Five culprits in the criminal case have already been arrested. Inal Jabiev died on August 28, 2022 as a result of violence by local law enforcement officials. He was accused of attempting to assassinate the then de facto Minister of Internal Affairs.

Increased Rates

From January 1, 2023, Russian suppliers increased the price for gas and electricity and it became necessary to revise tariffs for consumers in the Tskhinvali region. The mentioned issue was discussed at a meeting of the de facto government. The meeting decided to postpone the discussion of the issue until the second quarter of the current year and to leave the prices unchanged for the population. At this stage, gas and electricity tariffs increase will apply only to organizations.