Day: December 10, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Wednesday that his country’s intelligence services have noted an intensification of China’s military cooperation with Russia in the military industry, citing a report by the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleg Ivashchenko, Azernews reports.
Tbilisi has distanced itself from reports of the construction of a new motor-transport transit hub in the Gali area of occupied Abkhazia, which is reportedly intended to serve as an alternative transportation link between Georgia and Russia. Media reports and business figures from Abkhazia, who are apparently involved in the project, suggested it is now nearing completion.
Astamur Akhsalba, presented as the director of a “Transit and Logistics Company” and head of the Abkhaz branch of the “Assembly of the Peoples of the World,” told Sputnik Abkhazia on December 7 that the hub is intended to serve as an alternative to the Upper Larsi customs checkpoint, currently the only officially functioning border crossing between Georgia and Russia.
According to Akhsalba, the project is based on the 2010-2011 customs deal with Moscow. He named Iran, India, and Azerbaijan as countries that may thus benefit from the hub to transit their goods to and from Russia. Akhsalba said that around 80% of the construction work has already been completed, and the installation of inspection equipment – scanners, X-ray machines, etc. – will now proceed.
Akhsalba admitted that the project was “kept quiet,” but “not from Abkhazia or its people,” to protect it from ill-wishers. Earlier, the construction became a topic of political debate in Abkhazia.
“Due to the geopolitical situation from 2012 to 2014, this project could not be implemented for objective reasons related to the situation in Georgia and the administration of former President [Mikheil] Saakashvili,” he added.
Recurring matter of transit
The idea of establishing an alternative transit route through occupied Abkhazia, including through the possible restoration of the railway link, has surfaced repeatedly in recent years, with Tbilisi consistently denying involvement. The discussion has primarily centered on easing transit for countries such as Armenia and Turkey, which rely on an overland route through Georgia to access Russia but have repeatedly faced delays and bottlenecks at the Upper Larsi crossing.
While potential economic and confidence-building benefits of such a scheme for Tbilisi and Sokhumi have been considered, successive Georgian governments consistently rejected the idea amid status-related sensitivities and concerns that it would expand Russia’s influence over Tbilisi.
The 2011 Russia–Georgia WTO deal envisioned, among other provisions, the creation of three trade corridors between the two countries, including two routes running through Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia – which were not named directly, but as geographic points to avoid status sensitivities. The Swiss-mediated agreement provided for sophisticated cargo-tracking and audit systems as part of an international monitoring mechanism to be carried out by a neutral private company, contracted by Georgia and Russia and accountable to Switzerland.
Tbilisi distances itself
Asked about the fresh reports about the transit hub in Gali, officials in Tbilisi distanced themselves by saying that “all this is speculation” and pointing to the role of the United National Movement-led government.
“We do not recognize any so-called state border […], and therefore there can’t be any discussion about this on our part,” Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told the reporter on December 10.
“Under the previous government, a specific agreement was signed based on which the then-authorities gave their consent for Russia to join the World Trade Organization,” Kobakhidze said. “It was agreed that, through Switzerland’s mediation, a mechanism for cargo transit would be established. However, since then, this issue has been stalled, and no steps have been taken from our side in this direction.”
According to Kobakhidze, “Law on Occupied Territories is in force, and the government has no initiative in this direction.” The law on Occupied Territories, adopted in 2008 in the aftermath of the Russian–Georgian war and Moscow’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states, restricts free movement, economic activities, and real-estate transactions in the two regions without Tbilisi’s prior consent.
Also Read:
- 13/11/2025 – 65th Round of Geneva International Discussions
- 21/07/2025 – Moscow Eases Passport Issuance for Russian Citizens in Occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali
- 03/05/2025 – Russia Launches Direct Flights to Occupied Abkhazia
- 26/03/2025 – Occupied Abkhazia Calls on Tbilisi to Abandon “Confrontational Rhetoric”