Zelensky confirms Ukraine will attack Russian military vessels in Abkhazia
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Russian Navy in Abkhazia
According to President Vladimir Zelensky, Ukraine will not refrain from attacking Russian ships in Abkhazia. Commenting on Russia’s plans to establish a naval base in the Abkhazian suburb of Ochamchira, Zelensky said that Ukraine would catch up with the Black Sea Fleet everywhere.
“The Russian navy can no longer operate in the western part of the Black Sea and is fleeing Crimea. This is an historic achievement. Not so long ago, the Russian commander had to announce the establishment of a new base on the occupied territory of Georgia, that is, in the southeast of the sea, as far as possible from Ukrainian missiles and marine drones, but we will catch up with them everywhere,” Zelensky said at the Crimean Platform parliamentary summit.
On 23 October, the official representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Forces (SDU), Vadym Skibitsky, first made public information about the transfer of some Russian military vessels from Crimea to Abkhazia. He said that Russia “detected a significant military threat” after Ukraine launched a series of special operations in Crimea.
According to him, some of the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet were transferred to the port of Novorossiysk, but the latter cannot accommodate all the vessels, and so the Kremlin decided to use Abkhazia.
On October 24, Skibitsky told the TV channel “Apostrophe” about construction carried out by Russia in the port of Ochamchira.
“The Russians have dredged, modernized the infrastructure of the port to ensure the safety of warships standing there. However, it will still be a small base,” Skibitsky said.
Russian military base in Ochamchira – what is known?
On October 5, 2023, Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania told the Russian publication Izvestia that a permanent Russian naval base will be established in Ochamchir.
“We have signed an agreement and a permanent base of the Russian Navy will be established in the Ochamchir region in the near future. This is aimed at improving the defense capabilities of Russia and Abkhazia, and such cooperation will continue because it serves the fundamental interests of Russia and Abkhazia, and security in this regard is the most important factor,” Bzhania said.
Secretary of the Security Council of Abkhazia Sergei Shamba, in turn, added that this agreement was reached quite a long time ago, and for Abkhazia it is an example of realization of alliance agreements with the Russian Federation.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry expresses “concern” about this and notes that such actions are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.
The Georgian opposition is demanding that Parliament pass a resolution against the Russian naval base in Ochamchira. The authors of the draft resolution, registered in the legislature on October 9, are representatives of the opposition, the parliamentary political group For Georgia and independent MP Teona Akubardia.
“The draft resolution strongly condemns Russia’s occupation and militarization of sovereign regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, as well as aggressive actions aimed at their annexation, a new expression of which is the decision to open a permanent Russian naval base in the port of Ochamchiri in Abkhazia,” they said.
On October 9, the Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) adopted three resolutions supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and territorial integrity and condemning the establishment of a Russian military base in Ochamchire, as they believe this poses a risk of further destabilization in the Black Sea region.
“We support the reaffirmation of the 2008 Bucharest Summit decision that Georgia will become a member of NATO with an Accession Action Plan as an integral part of the accession process.
It is also necessary to quickly implement a customized package that expresses support for Georgia and Moldova, and to actively continue to support Georgia on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, in addition to supporting the steps taken to join the North Atlantic Alliance, as reflected in the reforms underway,” one of NATO’s resolutions reads.
