Category: Conflicts / Occupied Territories
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After the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, a military base of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was deployed on the territory of the Russian-occupied Abkhazia. The 7th Military Base subordinates the 49th Army of the Southern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Russian military infrastructure present on the territory of occupied…
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On December 7, 2025, reports emerged indicating that the construction of a transit and logistics hub, also known as a cargo terminal, at the so-called “Enguri checkpoint” in the Gali district of Russian-occupied Abkhazia had reached its final stages. While Abkhazian and Georgian media had periodically reported on new infrastructure developments at the Enguri Bridge,…
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Post-Soviet Conflicts Watch provides an overview of ongoing conflicts and post-conflict processes throughout the post-Soviet space. The document analyzes key events and trends in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia—specifically, Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region; as well as in the breakaway region of Transnistria and the autonomous entity of Gagauzia. It also covers other areas within…
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Russia recognized the independence of Georgia’s separatist regions of Abkhazia and so-called South Ossetia shortly after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and established diplomatic relations with them. As of 2025, the Russian Federation has concluded over 200 agreements with occupied Abkhazia and over 100 agreements with the occupied Tskhinvali region (so-called Republic of South Ossetia), covering…
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Occupied Abkhazia Reconstruction of the Kodori Tunnel As of 2025, construction works have been underway on a tunnel linking Abkhazia to the Kodori Gorge. The tunnel sits on the only road leading to the village of Lata that is accessible to vehicles. Until 2008, the contact line between separatist and Georgian central government forces ran…
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Introduction Russia assumed complete de jure control over the defence and security of occupied Abkhazia following the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. On 17 February 2010, Dmitry Medvedev, the then-President of the Russian Federation, and Abkhazian de facto President Sergey Bagapsh, signed an agreement “On the Russian Joint Military Base.” Unlike in the occupied Tskhinvali region, the…
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The Post-Soviet Conflicts Watch provides an overview of ongoing conflicts and post-conflict developments across the post-Soviet space. The document presents a review and analysis of key events and trends in the Russian-occupied regions of Georgia — Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region — as well as in the breakaway region of Transnistria, the autonomous entity of…
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The incorporation of Ossetian military personnel into the 4th Military Base of the Russian Ministry of Defence, stationed in the occupied Tskhinvali region since the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, entered an active phase in 2017. The move was seen as effectively dissolving the so-called “Ossetian army” in the occupied territory. Russia’s objective – to establish itself…
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Since the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, the Russian Defence Ministry’s 7th Military Base has been the main guarantor of security in occupied Abkhazia. Nonetheless, the de facto Abkhazian defence ministry continues to hold a degree of significance, as its general staff has frequently been led by ethnic Russian senior officers with prior service in the Russian…
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The ultimate guarantor of security in the occupied Tskhinvali region since the 2008 Russo-Georgian War has been the 4th Military Base of the Russian Defence Ministry. However, the de facto Defence Ministry retains a certain degree of importance in its capacity, often headed by ethnic Russian high-ranking officers who previously served in the Russian Armed…