Abkhazia
Nearly the entire Abkhazia population holds Russian citizenship. Abkhazians are an ethnic group of people from the Caucasus region who primarily live in the Abkhazia republic. The Abkhazians are primarily Sunnite Muslims and Eastern Orthodox Christians. However, most of the Abkhaz in Russia and Georgia are Christian, while those in Turkey are Sunni Muslims.
The International Crisis Group estimated that there are around 5,000 Russian personnel in Abkhazia, including ‘3,500 military and 1,500 Federal Security Service (FSB) officers and ‘border guards.’ Russia spent $465 million over four years to refurbish and develop military installations in the Black Sea coastal area, including Bombora – the largest military airfield in the South Caucasus, in Gudauta and a naval port in Ochamchire. On the basis of the 2010 agreement between Russia and Abkhazia (which is valid for 49 years, after which it automatically extends every fifteen years), Russia operates its 7th military base in Abkhazia in Gudauta.
The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia planned to hold its presidential election on 15 February 2025, following protests that led to the resignation of its Moscow-backed leader. Former president Aslan Bzhania stepped down last week to “maintain stability and constitutional order” after negotiations with opposition leaders. He was temporarily replaced by his deputy, Badra Ganba, and has expressed intentions to run again.
Protesters opposing a proposed measure that would allow Russians to buy property in the Georgian territory of Abkhazia stormed into the secessionist region’s parliament building on 15 November 2024 and clashed with police. The parliament in the regional capital of Sukhumi was set to discuss ratifying the measure on Friday but postponed the session as the demonstrators gathered outside the gates of the government compound that includes the legislature’s building and the presidential office. Protesters also broke into the presidential administration offices located in the same building as the parliament.
Abkhazian opposition leaders were against an investment agreement signed in October in Moscow by Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov and his Abkhazian counterpart, Kristina Ozgan. They said the agreement with Moscow, which would allow for investment projects by Russian legal entities, would price locals out of the property market by allowing far more Russian money to flow in. The opposition said the protesters’ actions were not against Russian-Abkhazian relations.
In 2014, demonstrators stormed the presidential headquarters, forcing then-leader Alexander Ankvab to flee. He later resigned over accusations of corruption and misrule. Opposition leader Raul Khadzhimba, elected following the unrest in 2014, was himself forced to step down in 2020 after street protests against disputed election results.
Since 01 September 2024, Russia partially suspended funding for the socio-economic assistance program to the republic due to Sukhum's failure to fulfill its obligations to Moscow. The reduction affected the salaries of teachers and doctors. In addition, Abkhazia had to pay for the flow of electricity from Russia at commercial rates.
Abkhazia will not receive 1.8 billion rubles of Russian financial assistance due to the complete suspension of co-financing since November, Acting Finance Minister Vladimir Delba said on 05 December 2024. "There are no funds received to finance other budget expenditures — defense capability, law enforcement activities, respectively, the purchase of medicines. And, of course, financial support for budget investments, such as the investment program and support for business entities, has been completely suspended. Thus, until the end of the year, we will not receive 1 billion 800 million rubles from Russian financial assistance," Sputnik Abkhazia quotes the Finance minister. These funds, Delba noted, the government will need to replace.
Without the financial support that Abkhazia received from Russia, it is extremely difficult to keep the situation further, said Acting President Badra Gunba. According to him, since November, the Russian side has actually suspended co-financing payments in all areas, except for pension provision. Now there is a threat that state employees will not receive wages.
In post-Soviet contexts, it is customary, assessing the state of infrastructure and communications, to repeat the thesis about the depletion of the safety margin of the USSR. In Abkhazia, all this is complicated by the consequences of the war, the blockade and the unsettled political and legal status. And therefore, money can be taken either from Russia or from anyone else if they refuse their own national-state self-determination. Collectivization-2.0 in the Abkhaz version will not work. Not the scale and not the level of social development that was in the years of the "great turning point"
The law will have to be respected, otherwise the republic will become "banana" adjusted for the Black Sea. Revolutions, coups and other delights. Moreover, respect both the authorities and the opposition. Otherwise, clear rules of the game will not push the "concept" to the sidelines. Laws will work, things will go both with property and with personal rights
It will not be possible to create a vertical in Abkhazia according to Russian-Belarusian patterns, more precisely, it will no longer be Abkhazia in the usual sense. So the whole society and the political community need to learn not only the language of the fists, they need to look for compromises and prevent crises. Abkhazians need to follow the laws and rules. So it is necessary to give appropriate examples, and not just complain about the obstinate inhabitants of a small republic.
Abkhazians need guarantees in the field of construction, ecology, and ethnic development. The republic has no other defender and guarantor of development except Russia. The November 2024 riots in Abkhazia had a lesser impact on the rest of Russian tourists in the country, but travelers reconsidered plans for the summer. Abkhazia is in the TOP 3 among major tour operators in terms of early booking volumes. But companies had something to offer tourists as an alternative.
Abkhazia is located on the Black Sea, sitting between Russia and Georgia. Abkhazia covers 3,300 square miles along the eastern shores of the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountains. Roughly three-fourths of Abkhazia is mountainous, which contrasts against the sea to create outstanding scenery and landscapes. The region is famous among Russians for its excellent seacoast resorts, which attracted prominent Russian figures such as Josef Stalin, who made Abkhazia his Summer home. Sukhum is the capital of the region, also know as Sokhumi and Sukhumi. The Abkhazian name for Sukhum is "Akua," which dates back to when Sukhum was one of the world's major sea ports. Abkhazia has several stunning regions including Gagra in the North, which is home to Voronya Cave - the deepest cave in the world at below 7,000ft.
Abkhazians are the native people of Abkhazia. Abkhazians are related to the Circassians in ethnicity, language, and culture. Famous for their longevity, the Abkhazians often lead rather long and active lives. Because Abkhazia is mostly mountainous, many Abkhazians still live in rural areas. They live in old, hand-built stone houses in small towns throughout the mountains, relying on their own crops and animals for food. Houses are usually shared by three to four generations. More and more, Abkhazians have also settled in the cities and towns.
Fame about the many languages of the Caucasian Mountains has long since spread throughout the world. Masud, an Arab author of the 9th century, wrote: “ Only Allah will be able to count the different nations living in the mountains of Caucasia. The mountains of Caucasia are mountains of languages.” West-Caucasian languages preserved a special fund of lexicographic elements that functioned in the hunting environment (the “forest language” of the Abkhazians, the “hunting” language in the Adygeis). Linguists succeeded in revealing over 250 of them, inherited from the parent language state of stems and affixes that were from time immemorial common for these languages and including appellations of cosmic phenomena, terms of relationship the name of parts of the body, a number of animals and plants, personal pronouns, numbers and several verbs.
The ancient religion of Abkhazia has many Gods - however the supreme god is named Antswa, which is the plural of "An" meaning Mother. Only 7% of Abkhazians still worship the ancient religion, while 60% are Christian and 16% are Sunni Muslim. Religions live together in harmony in Abkhazia, and this is represented by the national flag.
The green and white stripes mark the peace between Christians and Muslims in Abkhazia. The red corner symbolizes the medieval Abkhazian kingdom, while the open hand means "Welcome friends, stop enemies." 7 is a particularly important number for Abkhazians, because on the flag the 7 stars each represent ancient regions of the country - Sadzen, Bzyp, Gumaa, Abzhywa, Samurzagan, Dal-Tsabal, and Pskhuy-Aibga.
Russia recognised Abkhazia, which has a population of approximately 250,000, and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, as independent states in 2008 after Russian troops repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war that ended on August 12, 2008. Under Soviet rule, Abkhazia had special status as an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) within the Georgian SSR. As the Soviet Union disintegrated, Abkhaz nationalism grew, with ethnic Abkhaz fearing a loss of autonomy if they became a part of an independent Georgia.
In February 1992, the provisional Georgian Military Council reinstated Georgia’s 1921 Constitution, interpreted by the Abkhaz as an abolition of their autonomous status. In July 1992, Abkhazia effectively declared independence from Georgia. This was recognised by no other country. In August 1992, Georgia dispatched troops to Abkhazia and retook control of the region. This provoked a separatist movement, with links to Chechen and Russian militias, to fight Georgian ‘occupation’. By the end of 1992, rebels held most of Abkhazia except the capital Sukhumi. A brief truce failed to hold and rebel forces retook Sukhumi in September 1993. Most ethnic Georgians fled.
The Moscow Agreement of 1994 brought a formal end to the fighting and the establishment of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), responsible for monitoring and verifying the observance of successive ceasefires. Sporadic acts of violence took place between 1994-2008. The worst flare up of fighting prior to 2008 occurred in May 1998 when around 100 people were killed in Gali, a predominantly ethnic Georgian region in southern Abkhazia. In August 2008, the Russians and Abkhaz took the opportunity to expel Georgians from the Kodori Gorge in the north eastern part of Abkhazia, and consolidate their hold through a big injection of forces.
Since the August 2008 war, Russia has sought to develop its economic and military links with the de facto Abkhazian authorities. In the absence of international monitors (UNOMIG’s presence ended in June 2009 after Russia vetoed its extension in the Security Council) the de facto authorities have agreed to the development of existing Russian military infrastructure and bases within Abkhazia, and the deployment of Russian security personnel along the ‘border’. Russian oil company Rosneft has signed a deal to explore for oil and gas off the Abkhaz coast. Direct Russian budgetary support will account for more than half of the Abkhaz budget in 2010. Abkhazia is also expected to play an important role in Russia’s staging of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, just up the coast from the border and Abkhazia has been promised contracts and jobs working on Olympic projects as part of recent economic deals.
Although Abkhazia is de facto independent it remains de jure part of Georgia. Only Russia and three other countries recognise the ‘independence’ of Abkhazia. The vast majority of the international community continues to support Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Abkhazia has a ‘multi-party presidential system’. The ‘president’ is head of state and head of government. ‘The People’s Assembly’ has 35 members, elected for a five year term in single seat constituencies. In December 2009, Abkhazia held its fourth ‘Presidential’ election since the post of President of the Republic of Abkhazia was created in 1994. The election was won by incumbent ‘president’ Sergei Bagapsh in the first round with 61% of the votes, thus gaining a second term in office.
Abkhazia is recognized as an independent state by five United Nations member countries:
- Russia (since 2008)
- Nicaragua (since 2008)
- Venezuela (since 2009)
- Nauru (since 2009)
- Syria (since 2018)
Additionally, Abkhazia maintains mutual recognition with other partially recognized entities, such as South Ossetia and Transnistria. However, the majority of the international community, including the United Nations, considers Abkhazia to be part of Georgia's sovereign territory.
In January 2010, the Georgian government unveiled a State Strategy on the Occupied Territories, intended to encourage economic cooperation, freedom of movement, the restoration of transport links and re-establishment of humanitarian links.
The de facto authorities in Abkhazia continue to restrict the rights, primarily of ethnic Georgians, to vote, participate in the political process, and exercise basic rights such as property ownership, business registration, and travel. Ethnic Georgians also have suffered harassment by Abkhaz and Russian forces, forced conscription in the Abkhaz "army," a lack of funding for basic infrastructure maintenance, and limitations on Georgian-language instruction in the Gali district schools.
Abhazia’s parliament appointed speaker Valery Bganba as acting president of the republic and voted to hold early presidential elections on 24 August 2014, according to the results of a special session on 31 May 2014. 24 of the 25 MPs present at the session voted in favor of early elections - one abstained. In turn, President Aleksandr Ankvab said he disagrees with the regulation, the vote of non-confidence and the MP’s proposal for his resignation. On May 29, the Abkhazian parliament expressed lack of confidence in Prime Minister Leonid Lakerbaya and urged Ankvab to resign voluntarily as head of the republic. Earlier in the week, the Abkhaz opposition, dissatisfied with the president’s internal policies, seized government buildings and created the Interim National Council.
Speaker of the Abkhazian parliament Valery Bganba, who was appointed interim president by the parliament, took over as Abkhazia's acting President after Alexander Ankvab announced his resignation. Ankvab announced that he decided to step down to preserve stability in Abkhazia. Alexander Ankvab, who tendered his resignation as Abkhazia's president on 31 May 2014, called on the nation "to show restraint, not yield to provocation and to refrain from any rallies". Ankvab said that the latest steps taken by the country's parliament "run counter to the constitution and laws of Abkhazia." In such conditions, according to Ankvab, the only politically acceptable, although illegitimate decision is to announce the date of early presidential election.
Abkhazia held a snap presidential election 25 August 2014. Four candidates were seeking to replace Aleksandr Ankvab, Abkhazia's de-facto president, who was forced to resign following days of political upheaval. The front-runner in the polls was Raul Khadzhimba, who had stood unsuccessfully for president three times since 2004. All the candidates spoke in favor of a close partnership with Russia. Raul Khajimba / Khadzhimba, a former career KGB officer, won with 50.57% of the vote.
Tens of thousands of Georgians marched through Tbilisi November 15, 2014 against what they said was the government's passive reaction to a planned military alliance between Russia and the breakaway Abkhazia republic. The protesters said the agreement, which has yet to be finalized, is a step toward Russian annexation of Abkhazia. They demanded the Georgian government take stronger steps to oppose the measure that would create a joint Russian-Abkhazian military force.
The pro-Ankvab political forces now in opposition, in the first instance the Amtsakhara (Keep the Home Fires Burning) union of veterans of the 1992-93 war that culminated in Abkhazia's de facto independence from Georgia and the broader Bloc of Opposition Forces of which Amtsakhara is a member, repeatedly criticized Khajimba's failure to deliver on his campaign promises to form a coalition government, embark on dialogue with other political forces, launch sweeping systemic reform, and kick-start the stagnating economy.
Hopes for an end to the protracted standoff between pro-government and opposition forces in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia proved premature. The 10 July 2016 referendum in which voters were called upon to approve or reject the holding of an early election for the post of de facto president was declared invalid just hours after polling stations closed. According to the Central Election Commission (TsIK), just 1.23 percent of the region's 132,885 registered voters cast ballots. The minimum required turnout for the vote to be valid was 50 percent.
On 26 March 2022, residents of Abkhazia voted in runoffs in 17 of 35 seats, another 17 having been won outright in the first round on 12 March. Votes will be held again in two seats: in Gudauta, where turnout was below the threshold during the first round, and in the Sukhumi (Sukhum) constituency 8, where candidates Naur Narmania and Leon Gubaz both won 989 votes in the second round. Of the 33 MPs elected, at least 25 are supporters of Aslan Bzhania, giving the president unprecedented support in the legislature.
Only two MPs from opposition parties won seats, Kan Kvarchia and Eric Rshtuni, though several MPs elected as independents are also supporters of the opposition. A total of 123 candidates had competed for seats in the 35-member parliament. Announcing the preliminary results of the second round on Sunday, the local Central Election Commission (CEC) reported that almost 37,000 out of around 68,000 eligible voters in the constituencies up for grabs took part in the elections, a turnout of 55%.
The Georgian Government, which claims sovereignty over Abkhazia, rejected the vote as illegitimate, as did several other countries including the United States. Elections in Abkhazia are considered illegitimate by Tbilisi, as well as the most of international community except Russia and the several states that recognize the independence of the occupied region.
Russia planned to build a naval base on the Black Sea coast of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, the leader of the region was quoted on 05 October 2023 as saying by the Izvestiya newspaper, a day after meeting President Vladimir Putin. Aslan Bzhania, the self-styled president of the Russian-backed breakaway region, said an agreement had been signed for a permanent naval base in the Ochamchira region. "We have signed an agreement, and in the near future there will be a permanent base of the Russian Navy in the Ochamchira district," Bzhania told Izvestiya. "This is all aimed at increasing the level of defence capability of both Russia and Abkhazia, and this kind of interaction will continue," he said. "There are also things I can't talk about."
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