Russia moves fleet to Abkhazia
Russia is transferring part of its warships from annexed Crimea to Abkhazia, according to Vadym Skibitsky, spokesman for the main Ukrainian military intelligence department.
According to Skibitsky, Russia had previously transferred ships to the port of Novorossiysk, but due to its current state, the port cannot accommodate the entire Russian fleet, so the Kremlin decided to use the port of Ochamchira in Abkhazia for this purpose.
“The Russians have partially reconstructed the [Ochamchira] port and also deepened the seabed to create a base for their military aviation. However, it will not be a very large base,” Skibitsky claims.
The intelligence official stresses that the Russians “realized a significant military threat” after Ukraine launched a series of special operations in Crimea.
“They [the Russians] realize that the war has moved to Crimea. Our goal is the complete liberation of occupied Crimea. We will not retreat in this regard. We must destroy the occupation group there,” Skibitsky said.
Russian military base in Ochamchir – what is known about it?
On October 5, 2023, Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania told the Russian publication Izvestia that a permanent Russian naval base will be established in Ochamchir.
“We have signed an agreement and a permanent base of the Russian Navy will be established in the Ochamchir region in the near future. This is aimed at improving the defense capabilities of Russia and Abkhazia, and such cooperation will continue because it serves the fundamental interests of Russia and Abkhazia, and security in this regard is the most important factor,” Bzhania said.
Secretary of the Security Council of Abkhazia Sergei Shamba, in turn, added that this agreement was reached quite a long time ago, and for Abkhazia it is an example of realization of alliance agreements with the Russian Federation.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry expresses “concern” about this and notes that such actions are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
The Georgian opposition is demanding that Parliament pass a resolution against the Russian naval base in Ochamchire. The authors of the draft resolution, registered in the legislature on October 9, are representatives of the opposition, the parliamentary political group For Georgia and independent MP Teona Akubardia.
“The draft resolution strongly condemns Russia’s occupation and militarization of sovereign regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, as well as aggressive actions aimed at their annexation, a new expression of which is the decision to open a permanent Russian naval base in the port of Ochamchiri in Abkhazia,” they said.
NATO Resolution
On October 9, the Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) adopted three resolutions supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and territorial integrity and condemning the establishment of a Russian military base in Ochamchire, as they believe this poses a risk of further destabilization in the Black Sea region.
“We support the reaffirmation of the 2008 Bucharest Summit decision that Georgia will become a member of NATO with an Accession Action Plan as an integral part of the accession process.
It is also necessary to quickly implement a customized package that expresses support for Georgia and Moldova, and to actively continue to support Georgia on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, in addition to supporting the steps taken to join the North Atlantic Alliance, as reflected in the reforms underway,” one of NATO’s resolutions reads.
