Abkhaz Defense Chief Pledges ‘Military Assistance’ to Russia

Russian-occupied Abkhazia’s defense chief Vladimir Anua has pledged to provide “military assistance” for Moscow in achieving the goals set by Vladimir Putin for the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.

Apsnypress agency on March 25 cited Anua as saying that Sokhumi “fully support[s] the special military operation conducted by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.”

“We are closely monitoring the processes taking place both in Ukraine and in the Black Sea region as a whole,” he added.

The Abkhaz defense chief further claimed that “the NATO-Georgia 2022 exercise clearly showed that official Tbilisi has not abandoned its bellicose rhetoric and course to join the North Atlantic Alliance.”

Citing complicated military and political situation in a wider region, Anua reminded that Abkhaz armed forces had been put on high combat readiness.

He said, “in case of aggravation of the situation,” Abkhaz forces are ready to “protect the state sovereignty and independence” of the occupied region.

Moscow launched full-scale military aggression against Ukraine on February 24, preceded by Putin’s recognition of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent states.

The Washington Post yesterday quoted a senior U.S. defense official saying that Russians “are drawing on forces from Georgia” — meaning its military bases in occupied regions — for reinforcements in Ukraine.

Authorities in Georgia’s another Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia had confirmed that Moscow transferred some of the troops from the region to Ukraine, including ethnic Ossetian soldiers. The S. Ossetian forces are largely integrated within the Russian army and operate under their command.

But authorities in Abkhazia have so far not reported/confirmed the participation of ethnic Abkhaz soldiers in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

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