President Putin Accepts Bzhania, Russia Plans To Build Naval Base In Abkhazia

President Vladimir Putin accepts President only Bzhania. (Source: Grigory Sisoev/RIA Novosti via Kremlin)

JAKARTA - Russia signed an agreement to build a naval base in the Black Sea that belongs to the self-isolating region of Abkhazia, Georgia, reports the Izvestiya newspaper, which sparked criticism from Georgia for its gross violation of sovereignty.

The day after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian-backed President Abkhazia Badminton Bzhania said on Thursday an agreement had been signed for a permanent naval base in the Ochamchira region.

"In the near future there will be a permanent Russian Navy base in the Ochamchira district," President Bzhania told Izvestiya.

"This all aims to increase the level of defense capabilities of both Russia and Abkhazia, and interactions like this will continue," he said.

"There are also things I can't talk about," he continued.

At his meeting with President Bzhania on Wednesday, President Putin made no comments on the naval base. But President Bzhania said he wanted to participate in the "integration process initiated by the Russian side"

When asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred all questions to the Russian defense ministry. Meanwhile, Abkhazia authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

Russia recognizes Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, as an independent country in 2008, after Russian forces managed to thwart Georgia's attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war that ended on August 12, 2008.

Meanwhile, Western countries accuse Russia of effectively annexing Abkhazia and South Ossetia. When talks about Russia's base in Ochamchira emerged in 2009, the NATO military alliance expressed concern.

Despite accusations of annexing the territory, three coastal countries of the Black Sea are known to be members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), namely Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Most countries in the world recognize Abkhazia as part of Georgia. Apart from Russia, only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Naru and Syria recognize Abkhazia's independence.

Responding to the plan, Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over "the inclusion of the Abkhazia region into the integration process initiated by Russia".

The move "is a gross violation of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

News of a Russian base in Ochamchira, where the Soviet Union has a naval base, could indicate Russia was looking for alternatives other than Sevastopol while also expanding its military presence on the Black Sea coast towards Turkey.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet, based in Sevastopol on Ukraine's annexed Crimean peninsula in 2014, has repeatedly been targeted by Kyiv forces since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has withdrawn most of its Black Sea Fleet from its main base in annexed Crimea, due to the Ukrainian attack.