Monthly Review

Occupied Regions of Georgia: Review of Main Events and Trends

2023 / 09 / 01

Publication: N11 / Review Period: August 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.

Commemorating Historical Dates

In August, number of historical dates were celebrated in both occupied regions. This month, ceremonial and mourning events were traditionally held with Russia’s active participation. Russian guests especially appreciated August 26, the date when the occupied regions celebrate the 15th anniversary of Russia's recognition of the independence of these regions.

  • In the beginning of August, events related to the 2008 Russian-Georgian war were held in the Tskhinvali region.
  • On August 12, Abkhazia celebrated “Liberation Day” of Kodori. According to the Abkhaz side, on August 12, 2008, the so-called Abkhazian Armed Forces fully restored the territorial integrity of Abkhazia after liberating the upper part of the Kodori gorge.
  • On August 14, the 31st anniversary of the start of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict was marked. Special preparations for the celebration of  the 30th anniversary of the completion of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict (which the Abkhaz side refers to as the “Patriotic War of the Abkhaz People”) is actively underway.
  • On August 15, Volunteers' Day was celebrated in Abkhazia. According to the Abkhaz side, a total of 2310 volunteers participated in the 1992-93 conflict. Out of which over 260 died. The first volunteers in Abkhazia arrived on August 15, 1992, the second day of the war. This date was celebrated for the first time in 2012.

Meeting with Medvedev

Events related to the recognition of the independence of the occupied regions of Georgia by Russia started with a meeting between the leaders of the occupied regions, Aslan Bzhania and Alan Gagloyev, and the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dimitri Medvedev, which took place on August 25 in Moscow. It was during Medvedev's presidency when Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region.

Meeting with Dmitry Medvedev

In an interview about the August war which preceeded the meeting, Medvedev voiced the Kremlin's narrative justifying Russia's military aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. In the interview, he once again admitted the possibility of joining the occupied regions with Russia, which the Kremlin does not support at this stage. According to him, the idea of joining Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region with Russia is still popular and quite possible to implement when there are suitable reasons. Sokhumi, which rejects the prospect of joining Russia, negatively reacted to Medvedev's assessment. The de facto Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia also issued an emergency statement: “The millennial statehood of Abkhazia is not a subject of discussion. The non-alternative path of development as a sovereign independent legal state is chosen by the people and is protected by the constitution.”

Tskhinvali made a different assessment. During a meeting with Medvedev, Alan Gagloyev said that they are still ready for further integration with Russia, including joining Russia at that historical moment when appropriate geopolitical conditions are in place.

Guests from Russia

On August 26, Tskhinvali and Sokhumi hosted several ceremonies. Guests to the events were mainly from Russia. Most of them were leaders of legislature bodies and Russian regions. In addition to members of the Russian State Duma and Federation Council, Tskhinvali also hosted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua. Members of the State Duma and Federation Council also visited Abkhazia.

Switzerland Follows EU Restictions on Russian Issued Passports

After the European Union, Switzerland also announced that residents of the occupied territories of Georgia and Ukraine will not be able to obtain a Schengen visa and their travel documents issued by the Russian authorities will not be accepted for crossing the borders of the Schengen area. Exceptions will be allowed, e.g. for humanitarian cases. In December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted a similar decision. Alike decisions of European countries will directly affect the people living in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, who travel around the world, including Europe, mainly with Russian-issued passports.

Abkhazia

Bzhania's Visit to Moscow

The de facto president of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, left for Moscow on August 5. His visit to Russia raised a number of questions. On August 10, it became known that he went to a hospital and underwent a surgery on August 16. It’s common for President Bzhania to go on a “working visit” to Moscow for several weeks, although information about his meetings is scarce. This time too, information was spread about only two meetings, namely, of August 23 meeting btween Bzhania and the Head of the Russian Tax Service, Danil Egorov, and of August 25 meeting with Medvedev.

Meetwing Between Aslan Bzhania and Danil Egorov

Relations with Belarus

After the visit of the Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, to Abkhazia (September 2022), relations between Belarus and Abkhazia have become more intense. Although Minsk still refrains from recognizing the occupied regions, the number of official meetings has increased dramatically:

  • On August 4, in Minsk, the de facto Minister of Tourism of Abkhazia, Teimuraz Khishba, met with the Minister of Sports and Tourism of Belarus, Sergey Kovalchuk. Khishba also met with representatives of the Republican Union of Tourism Industry of Belarus.
  • On August 24, the speaker of the de facto parliament, Lasha Ashuba, met with the Executive Secretary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russian Union State, Sergey Strelchenko, who arrived in Sokhumi on the 15th anniversary of the recognition of Abkhazia's independence by Russia.
  • On August 30, Bzhania extended birthday greetings to the President of Belarus and expressed hope that “the first steps taken by our countries in the field of bilateral cooperation will lead us to the development of friendly and fruitful relations.” Gagloyev also congratulated Lukashenko, although his congratulatory text did not contain wishes for the development of bilateral cooperation.

Fuel Crisis

On August 21, one of the largest fuel companies in Abkhazia - Apsni Oil - suspended selling fuel at gas stations, which caused panic among consumers for several days. Fuel price increase in Abkhazia started from May 2023. At the beginning of the year, the retail price of AI-92 (regular) gasoline per liter was RUB 43 which increased to RUB 55.

Fuel is delivered to Abkhazia only from Russia, an average of 100,000 tons annually. Therefore, the current processes in Russia directly affect the fuel market of Abkhazia. The de facto government explained the fuel crisis by the processes taking place in Russia: the scheduled repair of oil refineries, the shortage of gasoline in Russia’s regions, the increase in fuel prices on the Russian stock exchanges, the developments in the world, the increased demand for vehicle transportation during the tourist season.

Restoration of the Sokhumi Airport

The construction of the necessary infrastructure for the restoration of the Sokhumi airport in Abkhazia has begun. Chernomorenergo has already built the power transmission line for the construction base which will reconstruct the airport. This is one of the commitments made by the de facto government to Russia. As planned the airport will launch on March 1, 2024. The Abkhaz side is to repair the access road to the airport.

On June 16, during the St. Petersburg International Forum, the Minister of Economic Development of Russia, Maxim Reshetnikov, and the de facto Deputy Prime Minister, Kristina Ozgan, signed an agreement “on the restoration of the Ardzinba Sokhumi International Airport.” A Russian investor will take the airport on a 49-year lease and benefit from tax benefits for 25 years. Although the Abkhaz side likes the idea of restoring the Sokhumi airport, they still criticize the transfer of the airport infrastructure to Russia and the fact that it is still unclear who the unknown “legal entity” is responsible for restoring the airport.

Where is the Ex-Chief Sanitary Physician

The de facto General Prosecutor's Office demanded the handover of the ex-Chief Sanitary Physician of Abkhazia, Lyudmila Skorik, from Russia. The criminal case against her is being investigated. In August 2022, the de facto Ministry of Health announced that it was conducting an official investigation into the fact of Skorik's failure to report to work. Later it was established that she left the territory of Abkhazia and moved to Russia. She is accused of exceeding her official authority, misappropriation, and embezzlement of funds. According to the investigation, Skorik took money for PCR tests, while the service was financed by “budget.”

Lyudmila Skorik

Labor Migrants in Gali

According to the so-called State Security Service, foreign citizens who are not registered in the Gali district have the right to stay on the territory of the district only if they have individual or collective permits. The number of labor migrants (mainly citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) in Gali increases during the harvest of nuts or other agricultural products. Labor migrants, mostly groups of five, are hired by locals. A labor migrant is obliged to register if he stays in the district for more than three days.

Tskhinvali Region

Fight Against the Special Services of the “Enemy State”

According to the so-called State Security Committee of the Tskhinvali region, in 2023, the “committee” identified three persons who “maintained contact with representatives of the Special Services of a hostile foreign state (meaning Georgia) and transferred to them the information collected about the socio-political situation in South Ossetia.” According to the “committee,” the citizens were forced to take such action; that’s why they received only warning. According to the “committee,” “the Special Services of a foreign country blackmailed, intimidated, and forced the citizens of South Ossetia to cooperate with them.”

It is interesting that the statement does not mention specific culprits. The form of punishment also raised questions, which was deemed to be too light for such a “crime.” The “committee” statement was received as a kind of warning in the Akhalgori district, whose population has the most intense ties with the residents of the territory controlled by the central government of Georgia. It is noteworthy that issuing new passes in the Akhalgori district was stopped last month. The pass is required to cross the so-called checkpoint of Odzisi/Mosabruni. The “committee” also requested a list of those public servants of the occupied district administration who already have a similar pass since it believes that public servants possess secret information and their movement to the territory controlled by Tbilisi poses risks to “national security.”

Seasonal Discount for Activities in the “Border” Zone

From August 2 to September 30, the so-called State Security Committee allowed the local population to carry out some types of agricultural activities in the “border” zone, namely, the purchase and transportation of agricultural products in the “border” area of the Tskhinvali, Znauri and Akhalgori districts. During this period, the locals will not need to obtain a permit, which is required to move along the occupation line. Applicants should only report with a passport to the closest local unit of the Russian Border Service and get registered.