Abkhazia–Russia border

43.388541°N 41.155232°E / 43.388541; 41.155232Russia has a 255.4 kilometres (158.7 mi) border with a self-proclaimed, internationally unrecognized republic of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia under Russian occupation, while the border itself is guarded by FSB Border Service of Russia and State Security Service of Abkhazia.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} Georgia considers any attempt to demarcate a boundary between the breakaway region and Russia as illegitimate.^[9]

Particular is the Psou river that runs between the Abkhaz-Russian border which is vital for economic activity^[10] while nefarious actors use it as a smuggling route for illegal goods.^[11]

History

During the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) when fighting had begun, the 221 km Abkhazian section of the railway extending from Psou roadside stop (Abkhazia–Russia border) up to Ingur roadside stop (Abkhazia-Georgia border) had been closed for Armenia and Georgia since Aug 14 1992, after the railway bridge over the River of Ingur (dividing Georgia from Abkhazia) was detonated.^[12] Later on on October 6, 1992, the Abkhaz forces captured Gagra and reached the Russian border shortly thereafter.^[13][14]

On September 19, 1994, the Russian Federation had closed its border with Abkhazia, and later on December 19, it would close the border along the Psou River.^{[15][16][17][18]}

The Russian Federation had ordered that all shipping to Sukhumi was to be closed again on January 5, 1996,^[15] which explains why an incident took place in March 1996, where a Turkish ship was prevented from entering into the port of Sukhumi.^[19]

In c. 2000, the Russian Federation had "relaxed" its border controls to "allow" men of fighting age, presumably because of the Second Chechen War.^[20]

In c. 2005, the Russian Federation unilaterally reopened the Psou-Sokhumi section for both civilian and military transport.^[21]

In 2006, the Psou-border was opened to all possessing appropriate documentation.^[22][23] In June of that year, the Russian Federation provided 200,000 tons of bitumen to assist road construction, the Sukhumi-Psou rehabilitation – at least 99 million roubles ($3.8million) was also financed by the Moscow government.^[24][25] Later in July, Russia delivered ammunition, automatic rifles, grenade launchers, bombs, and mines; that equipment was transported into Abkhazia by some thirty-five to forty military trucks that crossed the Psou River from the Russian side.^[26]

On January 24, 2011, it was reported that Russia had financed repairs on the Abkhaz Railway which would span over three months and reconstruction would cover railway sections from the River Psou on the Russian border to Sokhumi.^[27]

Notably, there was a dispute between the two parties^[which?] over a tract of land 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi)^[28] in size near the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana that flared in the lead-up to the Sochi Olympics.^{[29][30][31][32][33]} The dispute has since been dropped.^[34]

On April 8–20, 2020, then acting President of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba had signed an order to close the entire state border with Russia along the Psou River, presumably because of COVID-19 pandemic.^[35]

During the XXVII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5–8, 2024, both sides stated that they would work together in order to "simplify" border controls.^[36]

References

1. ""Border" Checkpoints in the Occupied Region of Abkhazia: Anatomy of the Movement on the Occupation Line". kremlin-roadmap.gfsis.org.ge. 24 November 2022.
2. "Comment by the Information and Press Department on Abkhazian Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Chirikba's visit to Russia". www.mid.ru. 9 March 2015.
3. "Abkhazia has strengthened border control with Georgia and Russia". detq.info. 25 June 2023.
4. "Black Sea Port Is Flash Point for Georgia and Russia". www.nytimes.com. 9 September 2009.
5. "Transcript of Remarks and Replies to Questions by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov at a Meeting with the Faculty and Students of the Abkhazian State University and Members of the Public of Abkhazia, Sukhum, October 2, 2009". www.mid.ru. 3 October 2009.
6. "Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia" (PDF). www.mpil.de. 21 September 2009.
7. Wojciech Górecki (10 March 2015). "Abkhazia's 'creeping' incorporation; The end of the experiment of a separatist democracy" (PDF). www.osw.waw.pl.
8. Aslanbek Mirzoev (30 September 2022). "Volunteer-movement and the Circassian factor during the Patriotic War of the people of Abkhazia in 1992-1993 – historical and political significance". abkhazworld.com.
9. Kupunia, Mzia (March 21, 2011). "Tbilisi slams "border demarcation" meeting planned in Moscow". The Messenger Online.
10. "Abkhazia; The Long Road to Reconciliation" (PDF). is.muni.cz. 10 April 2013.
11. Kukhianidze, Alexandre; Kupatadze, Alexandre; Gotsiridze, Roman (2004). SMUGGLINGTHROUGH ABKHAZIA; AND TSKHINVALI REGION OF GEORGIA (PDF). American University's Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) Georgia Office. ISBN 99928-0-830-6. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
12. "Views from Moscow: Russian-Abkhazian treaty shot down project of railway to Armenia via Abkhazia and Georgia". arminfo.info. 26 November 2014.
13. Verlag Barbara Budrich (2015). ""Frozen conflicts" in Europe". www.jstor.org. JSTOR j.ctvdf0bmg.
14. "Changes on the Western Front: how Gagra was liberated". abkhazworld.com. 3 October 2020.
15. Edward Mihalkanin. "Russia, Georgia, and Abkhazia" (PDF). abkhazworld.com.
16. "THE DE-ISOLATION OF ABKHAZIA" (PDF). www.international-alert.org. April 2011.
17. Ekaterina Kosiuk (March 2023). "Could a De Facto State Survive without External Help? The Case of Abkhazia". Acta Humana. 11: 7–32. doi:10.32566/ah.2023.1.1.
18. Sergey Markedonov (20 December 2018). "Russia and the conflicts in the South Caucasus". wp-g.pages.dev.
19. "The Blockade of Abkhazia". abkhazworld.com. 20 July 2020.
20. Georgi M. Derluguian (January 2001). "THE FORGOTTEN AKBHAZIA" (PDF). csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com.
21. Vladimir Socor (3 June 2008). "RUSSIA DEPLOYS RAILWAY TROOPS TO ABKHAZIA". jamestown.org.
22. George Hewitt (2009). "Abkhazia and Georgia; Time for a Reassessment". repository.library.brown.edu.
23. George Hewitt (4 October 2013). "Why Independence for Abkhazia Is the Best Solution". www.tppra.org.
24. "ABKHAZIA TODAY; Europe Report N°176 – 15 September 2006" (PDF). www.files.ethz.ch. 15 September 2006.
25. "ABKHAZIA WAYS FORWARD; Europe Report N°179 – 18 January 2007" (PDF). www.crisisgroup.org. 18 January 2007.
26. "CASE OF MAMASAKHLISI AND OTHERS v. GEORGIA AND RUSSIA". hudoc.echr.coe.int. 7 March 2023.
27. "Abkhazia: Russia to Repair Abkhaz Railway". unpo.org. 25 January 2011.
28. "Leader of separatist Abkhazia dies". www.osw.waw.pl. 1 June 2011.
29. Souleimanov, Emil (May 11, 2011). "Russia and Abkhazia Dispute Border Delimitation". Central Asia-Caucus Institute.
30. "Abkhazia: Not Quite So Frozen in Time". civil.ge. 14 February 2014.
31. "Abkhazia: Hopes Placed on the "Olympic Effect"". unpo.org. 6 July 2007.
32. Nikoloz Samkharadze (August 2012). "Georgian State Border – Past and Present" (PDF). css.ge.
33. George Hewitt (13 July 2012). "Abkhazia, from conflict to statehood". www.opendemocracy.net.
34. "Abkhazia: The Long Road to Reconciliation" (PDF). International Crisis Group. No. Europe Report N°224. April 10, 2013. p. 10.
35. "Abkhazia closes border with Russia". uawire.org. 8 April 2020.
36. "Aslan Bzhania: Russia and Abkhazia are working on simplifying border control - I hope we will reach such a history of relations when the checkpoint will no longer be needed". www.interpressnews.ge. 9 June 2024.