ANALYSIS – Russia has signed a deal for a permanent naval base in the Russian-occupied breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, its leader says. Georgia counters by saying the move is a “gross violation” of its sovereignty.
Most of the world considers Abkhazia as part of Georgia, while only the rogue states Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria have recognized Abkhazia as independent.
Georgia's Foreign Minister added that the move violates the “territorial integrity of Georgia and [is] another provocative attempt to legitimize the illegal occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia.”
Abkhazia, which already hosts a Russian military base, lies in the north-western corner of Georgia which faces the eastern end of the Black Sea, and borders Russia.
The news of the permanent Russian base at Ochamchira, where the Soviet Union previously had a naval base, indicates that Russia is seeking alternatives to Sevastopol while also expanding its military presence down the Black Sea coast towards Turkey, which borders Georgia.
Moscow's Black Sea fleet is the flagship of its navy. Its warships based in Sevastopol have launched devastating missile attacks at Ukraine. This has made it an important target for Kyiv, which recently hit the fleet's headquarters in Crimea, claiming to have killed 34 Russian officers.
The Wall Street Journal reported that due to the increasing Ukrainian attacks, Russia has withdrawn the bulk of the fleet from Sevastopol.
The UK defense ministry has also suggested Russia's Black Sea fleet activities are moving eastwards. High-resolution satellite photos show that at least 17 Russian vessels have relocated from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk,
The site of the potential new Abkhazia base is 300 miles further south-east of Novorossiysk, along the Black Sea coast.
Basing vessels in Abkhazia would also allow Russia to launch attacks from occupied Georgian territory, likely provoking Ukrainian counter strikes on nominally Georgian soil.
Russia recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, as independent states in 2008. This, after Russian troops repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war which ended on August 12, 2008.
Neither the outgoing GW Bush team nor the incoming Obama-Biden administration at the time did anything significant in response.
While Abkhazia remains firm in its commitment as an ally of Russia, it has rejected the idea it could be annexed by Russia and insists that it maintains sovereignty.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
This is a chess game.
This latest move is called bait and switch.
The Ukraine is losing the WEF war
Actually by moving it’s fleet Russia accomplishes two things : Saves lives of those in the area Ukraine is attacking and maintains control of waterway needed for shipping.