The port of Otschamchire is located in Abkhazia and therefore on Georgian territory. Russia recognizes the breakaway republic as an autonomous state. An agreement with the Abkhazian government will allow the Kremlin to establish a base on the Georgian Black Sea coast.
It is difficult to say to what extent the plans are actually being implemented. The Kremlin made no comment following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Abkhazian leader Aslan Bzhania in October. According to Russian daily Izvestia, Bzhania said at the time: “We signed an agreement and in the near future there will be a permanent base of the Russian Navy in the Ochamchire district.” The breakaway republic has around 250,000 inhabitants.
Accusation of “occupation” and “militarization”
In November, according to the BCC, 50 Georgian opposition deputies wrote to the EU and NATO to protest the Russian presence. In their statement, they “unanimously and firmly” condemned Russia’s “occupation, militarization and other activities” aimed at “annexing” Abkhazia, the British broadcaster cited.
AP Russia reportedly wants to relocate parts of the Black Sea Fleet (ships pictured near Novorossiysk in July 2022) to Abkhazia
There are at least two things that have given Georgia a headache in this matter. On the one hand, there is concern that the country could end up at war with Ukraine. On the other hand, Georgia is planning a huge port and logistics project very close to Otschamchire. And don't forget: Russia and Georgia have clashed militarily in the South Caucasus several times in the recent past, most recently in 2008.
After the war in 2008, Moscow recognized the Georgian parts of Abkhazia and the equally separatist South Ossetia as independent states. Apart from Russia, only a few countries in the world do this. The former autonomous republic in the South Caucasus borders Russia and the Black Sea. It is less than 150 kilometers from Ochamchire on the Abkhazian coast to the Black Sea coast of NATO member Turkey.
Further from Ukrainian weapons
Apparently Russia wants to station part of its Black Sea fleet in Ochamchire, where the former Soviet Union already had a naval base. The main base of Sevastopol on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia since 2014, has been targeted several times since Russia's attack on Ukraine.
AP/Russian Ministry of Defense/Valim Savitsky The biggest blow to the Black Sea Fleet: the “Moskva” sank in Crimea in April 2022
The heaviest blow to the Russian Navy so far: on April 14, 2022, shortly after the start of the war, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the guided missile cruiser “Moskva”, was hit by anti-ship missiles. Ukrainian ship caught fire and sank. Other attacks followed, in September a Russian submarine was hit in the port of Sevastopol. Russia is now said to have withdrawn several ships from Crimea.
Foreign territory as a protective shield
The Ukrainian secret service also assumes that the expansion is intended to be a “safe haven” for parts of the Black Sea Fleet, the BBC said. “Safe haven” not primarily because it is further from Ukrainian weapons than Crimea, but because it is on non-Russian territory.
This could be a crucial tactical measure, as Ukraine will likely be wary of bombing Georgian territory under international law. But it is also a risk. If Russia used the port in the war against Ukraine or if Ukraine in turn attacked Russian ships there, Georgia would become part of the war, according to Natia Seskuria of the British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), that deals with international security issues. .
If Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he needs to drag Georgia into war, he will do so. At least the Kremlin chief could put pressure on Tbilisi.
Images show construction activity
Tbilisi does not agree on the scope of the plans, the BBC said. On the one hand, we are talking about a serious violation of Georgia's territorial integrity, and on the other hand, the fact that Russia's intentions do not currently pose a serious threat. Even if Moscow builds the base, it “will take at least three years”, the British broadcaster said, citing the chairman of the Georgian Foreign Policy Committee, Nikolos Samcharadze. “We focus on imminent threats,” not those that may come to the country in the future. There are currently no signs that construction is already underway at the base.
The BBC, however, analyzed satellite images that, according to the broadcaster, showed an “increase” in excavation and construction work between February 2022 (the Russian attack on Ukraine) and December this year. According to the BBC, Abkhazia's “de facto administration” claims that larger cargo ships, with a displacement of up to 13,000 tonnes, will now be able to dock at the city's port. In fact, Google Earth images show warehouses that look relatively new and trucks in large parking lots.
Georgian plans for the “new Silk Road”
For its part, Georgia has been planning a huge port and logistics project very close to Ochamchire for years: the expansion of the port of Anaklia. Another fear is that the project could fail due to the Russian presence or pressure from Moscow.
According to Georgian plans, the port of Anaklia is to be expanded into a deep-water port and become an international hub by 2030. This could significantly reduce the transport of goods by ship from Asia to Europe along the “new Silk Road”. E: The land route via Russia was left out. So far, ships too large for Georgian ports have docked in Turkey. A development consortium for the port project includes Georgian companies as well as companies from the US and Britain.
Multiple attempts and no implementation
However, plans for the new deep-water port have not yet been implemented. The first appeared in 2011, under the government of then Georgian Prime Minister Mikheil Saakashvili. A new attempt was made in 2016; At that time it was said that the port should be ready in 2019.
The following year, 2020, we tried again. The plans failed again due to internal political differences and a lack of money. This year they were resumed, this time the implementation should be successful with the help of international investors.
Pressure from Moscow?
However, it was also said that the project was suspended at least once so as not to provoke its large neighbor, Russia. The Kremlin is not satisfied with the project solely for economic reasons. The BBC referred to statements by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Lavrov that US submarines could dock at Anaklia in the future.
Mamuka Khasaradze, a former parliamentarian, head of the Anaklia Development Consortium and businessman, told the BBC that Tbilisi had shelved plans at least once “to appease Moscow”. Tbilisi is acting in Moscow's interests and Moscow does not want the project.
Samcharadze, from the Foreign Affairs Committee, called the accusation of proximity to Moscow “absurd” to the BBC. “How could a pro-Russian government conclude an association agreement with the EU or have candidate status?”
But: Georgia, with its approximately 3.7 million inhabitants, must deal carefully with its much larger neighbor. There have been three wars between the two countries in the past 30 years, Samcharadze said. And: Georgia is not part of NATO. However, the US supports the country militarily. In March 2022, shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine, Georgia submitted an application for EU membership and received candidate status in mid-December.