December 24, 2024

Power for Abkhazia


Power for Abkhazia
Abkhaz flag in the partially recognized republic's president's office. APSNYPRESS, Telegram.

On December 21, Badra Gunba, acting president of the Russian-occupied Abkhazia, announced he would ask Russia for a humanitarian electricity supply due to the collapse of Abkhazia's energy system. The request comes as relations between Russia and the partially-recognized republic have soured.

Abkhazia is a breakaway region of the Republic of Georgia. It took form during Georgia's struggle for independence and the 1992-94 war in Abkhazia. Since then, it has been supported and subsidized by Russia, which seeks to destabilize Georgia by encouraging separatism and ethnic strife. During the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, Russia occupied the region and recognized it as an independent state, an act which contravenes international law and convention.

In November, Abkhazian authorities signed an investment agreement with Russia, and protests over the deal soon followed. Five opposition activists were arrested, sparking a political crisis in Abkhazia. Shortly afterward, President Aslan Bzhania resigned. His vice president, Gunba, was appointed acting president until elections to be held February 15, 2025. The agreement with Russia was not ratified. On December 6, Abkhaz authorities announced a nearly-full halt on Russian funding. 

Abkhazia experiences power shortages every year from November to April. Its key source of electricity is the Inguri Power Station, a hydroelectric facility that relies on the water from the Jvari Reservoir. Abkhazia also receives electrical power from Russia. In October, Abkhaz authorities asked Russia for free electricity supplies for 2025. They received no response.

On December 11, the Inguri Power Station shut down, causing large power outages in occupied Abkhazia. Gunba said, "Power outages for 9 to 11 hours a day are a death sentence to the health and education systems. This puts the lives and health of our children, elderly, and socially vulnerable groups at risk." He warned, "Abkhazia may face a humanitarian catastrophe."

President Gunba blamed the energy system collapse on the November protests and the subsequent deterioration of relations with Russia. He asked the citizens of the Russian-occupied territories to unite. He added, "It is fundamentally important not to harm relations with Abkhazia's allies. We don't have many of them. And the main one is the Russian Federation."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "When [Abkhazia] asks, there will be a response, of course. Abkhazia is a country native to us. We recognize it as a state (...) Naturally, together with us."

You Might Also Like

Good Sharlot
  • November 28, 2024

Good Sharlot

The Patriarch of Moscow, a close Kremlin ally, forgives a dissenting singer. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955