On August 23, 2020, the de facto Minister of Defense of Abkhazia, Vladimir Anua, met with the Minister of Defense of Russia, Sergey Shoygu. The meeting was held within the framework of forum "Army-2020", held in Russia.

During the meeting, Shoygu mentioned Abkhazia as Russia’s ally and strategic partner in the South Caucasus. According to him, the Russians and Abkhazians are jointly creating common defense space, with the Russian military base on the territory of Abkhazia  - as the one of its important components.

Anua awarded Shoygu the Order of Courage for “his assistance in rescuing residents of the city of Tkuarchali” during the conflict in 1992-1993.

Representatives of the de facto armed forces of Abkhazia, for the first time, are participating in the international military games ongoing in Russia.