"We owe no one anything." Views from Abkhazia on Russia's cessation of financial aid
Russia ceased aid to Abkhazia
In Abkhazia, the crisis in relations with Russia is being discussed vigorously following Russia’s cessation of financial aid to the republic starting September 1. This effectively confirmed the authenticity of a leaked protocol from a Kremlin administration meeting, which indicated that Moscow is using this move to push through projects that benefit it but are unpopular among the Abkhazian public.
The range of opinions on this issue in Abkhazia is very broad. Here is one perspective, expressed by Astamur Lakerbaya, an employee of the administration of the Gagra district.
“After listening to the comments on the leaked protocol, including those from official sources, I’ve come to the conclusion that [Russian] funding would have been cut off eventually anyway. It’s just that a convenient pretext was found.
Apparently, there is no extra money left in the Russian budget. I am sure that even if Abkhazia had passed the laws required by Russia, the funding would still have stopped. It would have just happened less abruptly, by 2025.
But what remains unclear is why this had to be done in such a confrontational manner.
It might be influenced by the rapprochement between Moscow and Tbilisi, or perhaps there are other factors at play.”
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Astamur Lakerbaya is most outraged by the fact that many in Abkhazia—ranging from politicians to ordinary social media users—view the cessation of aid as a deserved punishment for failing to meet obligations to Moscow:
“Let me ask: what are we guilty of? How have we let Moscow down? Perhaps by the fact that dozens of our guys died in the Special Military Operation, or that we have hosted people from Donbas and Kursk?”
According to Lakerbaya, while no one can guarantee that every penny of Russian aid to Abkhazia is used efficiently, there have been no major complaints from the Russian side.
“What parts of the agreement have we failed to fulfill? The agreement mentioned [in the protocol] is a framework agreement; it’s a declaration. You can’t speak of failing to meet obligations in relation to such a general and vague concept as ‘harmonization of legislation.’ You can only fail to meet specific clauses of a specific contract,” Lakerbaya questions.
He urges his fellow citizens:
“[Have] more self-respect. We owe no one anything, and our attitude towards Russians does not require constant verbal affirmations. This has been proven by deeds and time.”
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