Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of December 23-29, 2024

Tragedy of the Baku-Grozny flight, pollution in Anapa, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, protests in Georgia, victims of energy crisis in Abkhazia, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of December 23-29, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Tragedy of Baku-Grozny flight

On December 25, a plane of the “Azerbaijan Airlines” (AZAL) flying from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau in western Kazakhstan. There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. Of them, 29 people survived. On December 28, Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev for the incident occurring in Russian airspace. On the other day, Ilham Aliev demanded from the Russian side to admit guilt in the plane crash, punish those responsible, and pay compensation.

On December 27, the “Azerbaijan Airlines” (AZAL) announced the suspension of flights to several cities in Russia. The decision is based on the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft due to physical and technical external interference. At the same time, military experts rejected the version of the involvement of the Russian air defence systems in the plane crash and any connection with the drone attack in Chechnya, citing the nature of the damage to the aircraft.

Pollution in Anapa

On December 15, two tankers crashed in the Kerch Strait because of a storm, resulting in an oil spill. Residents of Anapa posted on social networking services the photos and videos showing stains of spilled fuel oil. On December 18, it became known that about 50 kilometres of beaches from Anapa to Temryuk were contaminated with fuel oil, and volunteers organized the rescue of birds stained with oil products.

It was already December 26, when the Russian Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) declared a state of emergency because of the fuel oil spill. That will allow additional forces and funding to be brought in to cope with the oil spill.

Residents of Anapa held a protest action against the authorities setting up sites to dispose of the fuel oil collected on the coast. Environmentalists note that the fuel oil should be stored on sites with concrete surfaces or in metal tanks.

On December 24, after complaints from volunteers claiming that the authorities were not taking sufficient measures to clean up the coast from oil products, Alexander Bastrykin, the chair of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), instructed his subordinates to institute a criminal case.

New fuel oil stains are constantly appearing on the seashore in the Krasnodar Territory, and there are not enough people to clean them up, users of the Anapa volunteer chat report.

Drone attacks

On December 25, a powerful explosion occurred at the “Alania Mall” shopping centre in Vladikavkaz. As a result, a fire started. One person perished, and at least ten employees of the shopping centre got injuries. The leader of the republic announced that the explosion and the fire were caused by “falling debris from a downed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),” although the preliminary version concerned the explosion of a gas cylinder.

On December 28, The Russian air defence forces neutralized 17 drones in the Rostov Region. “According to the operational services’ information, there are no casualties or damage on the ground,” Acting Governor of the Rostov Region Yuri Slyusar wrote on his Telegram channel. On December 24, nine drones were shot down in the Rostov Region, eight of which, according to the local authorities’ report, were neutralized in Millerovo.

On December 26, three drones were shot down in the Volgograd Region. On the other day, one drone was neutralized over the Astrakhan Region, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported on its Telegram channel. On December 25, a drone loaded with explosives was recorded falling in Malgobek.

On December 25, residents of Grozny reported the sounds of explosions. Secretary of the Chechen Security Council Khamzat Kadyrov posted on a social networking service a video of the drone being destroyed and added that all drones had been shot down.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

In Novorossiysk, a court fined local resident Anna Lopatko 30,000 roubles, finding that her post on the Internet discredited the Russian Armed Forces. According to the investigators’ version, Anna Lopatko posted a link to a video calling for the use of the Russian troops in Ukraine to be prevented.

Four administrative protocols against Inna Tishkina, a resident of Krasnodar, were filed with the Leninsky District Court of Krasnodar. Three of them were drawn up under the article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, and one more – under the article on insulting the authorities.

In Gelendzhik, a court fined local resident Anna Krasovskaya, recognizing that her comment posted in a messenger discredited the Russian Armed Forces. According to the case materials, Anna Krasovskaya posted a comment and a blue and yellow smiley face, which repeated the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

According to the case materials, Vyacheslav Zhuk, a resident of the Krasnogvardeisky District of Adygea, posted a video in the “Plokhiye Novosti” (Bad News) Telegram channel, the content of which the law enforcement bodies considered aimed at “reducing the authority” and “undermining trust” in participants of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. An examination recognized that the video allegedly contained a negative assessment of the SMO participants and was aimed at humiliating them as a social group. The Krasnogvardeisky District Court fined Vyacheslav Zhuk.

In Novorossiysk, a court fined Andrei Beschatny 40,000 roubles for his comments in a Telegram chat “containing information about discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

Protests in Georgia

On December 29, Mikhail Kavelashvili officially took office as President of Georgia. In parallel with his inauguration, Salome Zurabishvili addressed the people of Georgia. She said that she would join the activists protesting against the suspension of the country’s membership in the EU.

The police detained six persons at the protest action in front the parliament building, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported. The “Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association” (GYLA) human rights organization claimed that the police actions “were a continuation of repression and a violation of freedom of peaceful assembly.” The organization explained that the detentions were carried out “very harshly, women were dragged along the asphalt by their hair.”

On December 27, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling “Georgian Dream” Party. The US Department of State explained that the actions of Bidzina Ivanishvili undermined Georgia’s democratic and Euro-Atlantic future. Bidzina Ivanishvili is included in the SDN list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Victims of energy crisis in Abkhazia

The energy crisis in Abkhazia has worsened, and the authorities have limited the supply of electricity to residents to three hours during the day. On December 14, analysts stated that the energy crisis was caused by cryptocurrency mining. In Abkhazia, the phenomenon of cryptocurrency mining has become a problem due to its mass character and corruption, and the fight against crypto mining farms in the republic is only imitated, the analysts note.

On December 23, Russia began humanitarian supplies of electricity to Abkhazia, announced Djansukh Nanba, the acting Minister of Energy and Transport of Abkhazia. The resumption of electricity supply due to supplies from Russia pleased residents of Abkhazia, but raised questions about what Moscow will demand in return and concerns about the effectiveness of the fight against cryptocurrency mining.

Before the elections, politicians in Abkhazia are trying to write off the factor of humanitarian supplies of electricity as their success, although the main task should be the development of local energy and the reduction of electricity losses due to the deterioration of the power grid.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By December 29, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 5530 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2656 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 2874 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 1157 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 1049, in the Krasnodar Territory – 619, in the Rostov Region – 605, in the Stavropol Territory – 551, in the Astrakhan Region – 425, in North Ossetia – 333, in Chechnya – 217, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 209, in Kalmykia – 107, in Ingushetia – 104, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 85, and in Adygea – 69.