The Democracy Research Institute (DRI) has been talking about the threats posed by the presence of the military occupation forces of the Russian Federation in de facto Abkhazia for years. Against the backdrop of the large-scale war waged against the sovereignty of Ukraine, the Russian occupation bases in de facto Abkhazia make the threat posed by Moscow in the South Caucasus even more visible. In this situation, a strong and coordinated position of the international democratic community is critically important for the protection of Georgia’s independence.

In Abkhazia, the closest deployment of Russian military forces is in the village of Pichori, Gali region, which is located on the administrative border line of the territory controlled by Georgia. Over the years, this military facility has become a key element of Russia’s Black Sea military strategy.

In May 2017, the illegal detention of a German citizen in Pichori by officers of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) made it clear that Russia controls the so-called de facto border.

Information about the activation of Russian military forces in the village of Pichori has been circulating since 2009. The existing facility serves as an auxiliary facility for the Russian naval fleet in Ochamchire. The presence of a Russian military facility in the village of Pichori, located just four kilometers from Tbilisi-controlled Anaklia, should be assessed as a direct threat to Georgia and the entire Black Sea region. Statements from Georgia about the deployment of Russian military forces in Abkhazia were made in October 2023, when the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessed this Russian action as “legitimizing the illegal occupation of the Abkhazian and Tskhinvali regions.”

Since the beginning of 2025, Russia has further intensified its occupation policy in the region, which has led to official Moscow encouraging the purchase of private property by Russian citizens on the territory of de facto Abkhazia.

In May 2025, at the meeting of the defense ministers of Russia and de facto Abkhazia, it was emphasized that Russia would increase the combat capabilities of the 7th military base deployed in Abkhazia. Abkhazia was also mentioned as a “reliable ally” working with Russia to create a common defense space. Later, in a conversation with the media, the de facto president of Abkhazia stated that within the framework of this agreement, a material and technical base of the Russian Navy for the Black Sea Fleet would be deployed near Ochamchire.

In response to the war waged in Ukraine by Russia, Ukraine attacked Russian military and strategic facilities with drones. The list of these strategic facilities included the Russian military facility located in Pichori, which led to the activation of the Russian occupation forces. According to a local source, a large-scale mobilization of Russian engineering troops and military equipment has recently been observed in the direction of the village. In addition, reports have been spread about the deployment of electronic warfare systems in Pichori, which directly indicates the activation of the Pichori military facility in the Russian defense system. There is an assumption that these actions serve to protect the main Russian military bases in Gudauta and Ochamchire.

For years, the Russian militarization of de facto Abkhazia has posed a serious threat to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which in turn poses a threat to the Black Sea region. The existing threat has become even more apparent in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the waging of a full-scale war.