Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of January 27-February 2, 2025

Presidential election in Abkhazia, pollution in Anapa, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, drone attacks, Georgian turbulence, 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 January 27-February 2, 2025, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Presidential election in Abkhazia

In November 2024, protests against the investment agreement with Russia began in Abkhazia. As a result, President Aslan Bzhaniya resigned and left Abkhazia. After negotiations between the government and the opposition, the duties of the president were temporarily assigned to Vice President Badra Gunba. The Parliament of Abkhazia scheduled an early presidential election for February 15.

By January 16, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Abkhazia registered five candidates. Outside Abkhazia, polling stations have been opened in Moscow, Cherkessk, and Sakarya in Turkey.

On January 31, Abkhazian presidential candidate Adgur Ardzinba requested the Central Election Commission (CEC) to verify the legality of his rival Badra Gunba’s participation in a meeting with President Putin’s administration representative Sergey Kiriyenko. According to the law, a presidential candidate does not have the right to hold office during the election campaign.

Pollution in Anapa

On December 15, two tankers crashed in the Kerch Strait because of a storm, resulting in an oil spill. About 50 kilometres of beaches from Anapa to Temryuk are polluted with fuel oil, and volunteers have organized the rescue of birds stained with oil products.

Pebbles contaminated with fuel oil were discovered on the shore in Sochi. A headquarters has been set up in the “Sirius” federal territory to monitor the environmental situation after the oil spill. And the number of birds affected by the fuel oil spill, which are brought to volunteer centres in Kuban, has decreased from several hundred to 40-50 per day.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the work, divers of the Russian Ministry for Emergency (MfE) have made more than 170 dives. Underwater, they collect fuel oil and contaminated soil in plastic bags so that it can be transported to the shore and taken away for disposal.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

A criminal case under the article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces has been instituted against a resident of Stavropol, who had earlier been fined 35,000 roubles for a similar administrative offense. However, six months later, the resident of Stavropol again posted similar information on social networking services. This time, the man was arrested. He faces up to seven years of imprisonment.

The Central District Court of Volgograd fined local resident Viktor Femelidi 15,000 roubles, finding him guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. According to the investigators’ version, the man left a comment under a video on the YouTube channel of a Ukrainian media outlet, in which he wrote in a negative way about the Russian Armed Forces and accused them of violating human rights. The comment was discovered by Russian law enforcers.

Shakhin Shikhmuradov, a resident of Nalchik, is suspected of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

A court fined Yulia Seireikidis, a resident of Stavropol, 30,000 roubles, after recognizing that her comments on a social networking service discredited the Russian Armed Forces. According to the case materials, during the period from 2022 to 2024, Yulia Seireikidis posted several pacifist entries on the “VKontakte” social networking service, which were discovered by Russian law enforcers.

Drone attacks

On January 29, one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was neutralized in the Myasnikovsky District, Acting Governor of the Rostov Region Yuri Slyusar reported on his Telegram channel. “The UAV fell outside of populated areas. There were no casualties or damage,” the Acting Governor of the Rostov Region wrote.

On January 31, Yuri Slyusar reported that in the Rostov Region, the Russian air defence forces “repulsed a massive air attack.” “A total of 25 UAVs were destroyed,” the Acting Governor of the Rostov Region wrote.

That same night, in the Volgograd Region, the Russian air defence forces shot down eight drones, Volgograd Region Governor Andrei Bocharov reported. “As a result of the fall of fragments from one of the UAVs, a fire broke out on the territory of an oil refinery ... One injured worker of the oil refinery has been hospitalized,” Andrei Bocharov reported as quoted by the Telegram channel of the regional administration. Two drones were shot down over the territory of the Krasnodar Territory.

On February 2, two drones were neutralized in the Rostov Region.

Georgian turbulence

On the night of January 12, ten people were detained in Batumi, including Mziya Amaglobeli, the founder of the “Netgazeti” and “Batumelebi” online publications. The journalist has been accused of attacking the Batumi police chief, and she faces up to seven years of imprisonment. Mziya Amaglobeli explained that she accidentally hit the police officer with her hand in a crowd.

On February 2, participants of a protest action in the capital of Georgia were dispersed by special forces, and dozens of people were detained. The “Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association” (GYLA) NGO requested the General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia to institute a criminal case against commander of the Georgian special forces Zviad Kharazishvili (Khareb). According to the GYLA’s information, the video recordings taken during the dispersal of the protest action confirm the use of violence against a detainee and the personal involvement of the special forces commander.

During the third week of the hunger strike, the health state of Mziya Amaglobeli worsened, her niece reported on the “Formula” TV Channel. Mziya Amaglobeli loses weight, but does not ask for medical help, her advocate Maia Mtsariashvili reports.

On January 29, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution with a demand to Georgia to hold an early presidential election and release political prisoners of the “Georgian Dream” Party. In response, the Georgian delegation to PACE announced the suspension of its activities in the organization. Tea Tsulukiani, the head of the Georgian delegation to PACE, has called the Assembly’s demand for a new parliamentary election a “blackmail, “unfair and unfounded.”

On January 26, in Gori, unidentified men in masks kidnapped and beat activist Vakho Pitskhelauri. They grabbed the activist, forced him into a van, and took him to a deserted area. They beat the man there and threatened to kill him. Vakho Pitskhelauri believes that the incident is connected with his protest activities against the Georgian authorities.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By February 2, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 5774 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2798 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 2976 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 1225 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 1094, in the Krasnodar Territory – 652, in the Rostov Region – 617, in the Stavropol Territory – 582, in the Astrakhan Region – 436, in North Ossetia – 344, in Chechnya – 226, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 222, in Ingushetia – 110, in Kalmykia – 108, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 89, and in Adygea – 69.