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

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
How Russia Got That Way

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.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.

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