Dissatisfaction grows in Abkhazia against Russia

In so called independent Abkhazia which is ‘cleansed’ of Georgians, there is growing dissatisfaction against the Russian presence. The major reason for this is Russian policy which clearly stresses the fact that Abkhazia, in reality, is part of Russia. It appears that Russia needed to recognize these territories as independent states to disguise its plans of annexing these territories. Abkhazians thought naively that they were using Russia against Georgia. However it turns out that in reality Russia used Abkhazians against Georgia. The Abkhazians have fulfilled their role according to the Russians and now they could be ignored.

The euphoria of independence in Abkhazia has calmed down already. Moscow has started a full scale occupation and annexation of Abkhazian territory to satisfy its imperialistic ambitions. As the Abkhazian legitimate government's ex-security minister, Levan Kiknadze, thinks, the signing of a Russian-Abkhazian treaty and its implementation means the end of so called independence of Abkhazia. Abkhazian society is very much concerned about the new demand from the Kremlin as Russian citizens could purchase real estate in Abkhazia. Russian authorities follow the logic that if Abkhazian citizens are automatically Russian citizens and Abkhazians can buy any property in Russia; then why cannot Russian citizens buy real estate properties in Abkhazia? But the reality is different. The Abkhazian population is very poor and there could be found maybe a handful of Abkhazians able to buy any property in Russia, whereas Russians can buy in Abkhazia extremely cheap real estate properties and this is being done on a daily basis.

Abkhazians try to use an excuse saying that there are some refugees from Abkhazia of Georgian nationality who received Russian citizenship. Therefore, they can return back to Abkhazia to purchase real estate and live there as Russian citizens. So even in this case Abkhazians are the losers.

On one hand they are implementing the policy of segregation and Georgia phobia but on the other hand they cannot stop Russians buying property in Abkhazia. More and more Russians are arriving and settling down in the fertile land of Abkhazia.

Russian officers, maybe some of the Russian population who suffered from the recent wild fires, Russian businessmen and others rushed into Abkhazia as in Klondike more than a century ago. The expert on Georgian-Abkhazian relations, Zurab Shengelia, was quoted in Anonymous Abkhaz that if the current situation continues in Abkhazia for the next 20-30 years, Abkhazian ethnicity will vanish. Separatists in Abkhazia welcomed the deployment of the Russian military in the region. However, currently more and more militaries are entering the country as well as several hundred Russian militias who are introduced there to establish order and rescue the country from criminalization. By the way, criminalization of the region is also blamed on the Georgians.

In reality, the introduction of police forces in the region serves to establish complete control on the entire Abkhaz territory. Currently there are speculations in Abkhazia that a meeting of elderly Abkhazians will be convened where they will discuss some urgent issues in the region. Georgia’s former PM, Tengiz Sigua, cited different reasons for the discontent of the Abkhaz elderly. This is Russia's demographic expansion, Moscow's plan to start extorting oil at the Abkhaz Black Sea coast as well as demanding a stop to importing growl from Abkhazia to construction in Sochi Olympic sights and some others. It is well known that the Abkhaz elderly and their opinions are very influential in the region. Under the circumstances there are many questions which the Abkhaz population ask but receive no answers. The situation is becoming more and more controversial.