In 2024, most of the officials overseeing the occupied regions within the Russian government retained their positions. Dmitry Kozak, the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, has supervised the direction of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region since 2020. Kozak, one of the most influential officials overseeing matters related to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, remains the central figure with whom the de facto leaders of both regions must coordinate and secure approval from for significant decisions.
Since November 1, 2022, Alexander Novak, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government, has held a central role in overseeing the occupied regions. He serves as co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Commission for Socio-Economic Cooperation between Russia and Abkhazia, and Russia and South Ossetia. Novak is responsible for overseeing socio-economic development projects and ensuring proper management of funds allocated from the Russian state budget to the occupied territories.
Among high-ranking Russian officials, Dmitry Volvach, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development, is the most frequent visitor to the occupied regions. Volvach is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Russian-funded projects in these territories, and regularly visits to monitor progress and ensure the proper execution of ongoing initiatives.
Since January 24, 2024, Anton Melnik has served as Head of the Division for Special Programs and Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development. He plays a key role in managing relations with Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, overseeing the implementation of socio-economic development programs in the occupied territories of Georgia. Melnik frequently visits both regions as part of Russian government delegations. From 2015 to 2019, he headed the International Cooperation Department within the Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs. Following the ministry’s dissolution in January 2020, he transitioned to his current position at the Ministry of Economic Development.
On August 20, 2024, Major General Sergey Shchedrin was appointed as the new head of the Border Division of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, succeeding Andrei Kudimov, who had held the position since 2021. The Russian Border Service is tasked with maintaining security along the occupation line of the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia. It also plays a central role in the ongoing “borderization” process.
Since September 2024, Vladislav Kulikov has served as a representative of the Federal Agency for CIS States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Affairs (Russian House) in Sokhumi. Before this appointment, Kulikov held the position of First Secretary at the Russian Embassy in Slovakia. He succeeded Dmitry Fedotov in this role.
For more details about the government officials responsible for the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia, please see the Rondeli Foundation project - Roadmap to the Kremlin's Policy in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region.
Excerpt from Rondeli Foundation publication.