Abkhazian Cinema Fund head apologises for ‘provocative statements’ to Russian tourists
The director of the Abkhazian Cinema Fund, Aleksander Basariya, has issued a public apology after making ‘provocative statements’ in regards to Russian tourists.
Earlier in July, videos reportedly appeared across social media showing Basariya complaining about Russian tourists who come on ‘cheap tours’ and live in ‘enclaves’, claiming that these actions posed a threat to national security. Basariya also alleged that Russian tour operators were dumping prices in the hotel, excursion, and transport industries, ‘causing local small and medium businesses to suffer’.
In his subsequent apology video, Basariya said that he now understands ‘it is precisely such provocative statements that I allowed myself to make that pose a threat to the security of our country’.
He also clarified that the Abkhazian Cinema Fund was a private organisation that had nothing to do with government structures.
Following Basariya’s comments, Abkhazian Tourism Minister Astamur Logua emphasised that such statements were ‘unacceptable’ in the framework of relations between Abkhazia and Russia, ‘as two fraternal states and peoples’.
‘We must remember our traditions of hospitality, what the Abkhazian culture is based on, and perceive the tourist as the main guest whom we receive at home. This is the most important thing, how we should position ourselves and behave’, Logua said.
The Tourism Ministry also issued an official statement declaring that Russian citizens visiting Abkhazia ‘do not and cannot post a threat’ to national security while emphasising that Russian tour operators have ‘played a significant role’ in building Abkhazia’s tourism industry. The ministry also called on people to ‘ignore provocative statements’ and focus only on official statements from the relevant authorities.
Similarly, the Secretary of the Public Chamber, Guli Kichba, warned people against making statements that could harm Abkhazia’s image, while the director of Ritsa National Park, Adamur Bagateliya, highlighted that Russian tourists have always been and will continue to be needed in Abkhazia.
‘It’s a provocation’
On the Russian side, Vadim Prasov, the Vice President of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of Russia, called Basariya’s comments ‘strange’, noting that ‘states are fighting for the flow of tourists’.
‘People come, they spend money, which goes, including in the form of taxes, to the state budget. They are the basis for the business community in terms of revenue. This money is spent on staff salaries, maintenance of facilities, the purchase of food, raw materials, and supplies. This is money that goes into the turnover of Abkhazian hotels, and this benefits the economy’, Prasov told Russian state media outlet Sputnik.
In turn, Russian MP Svetlana Zhurova suggested that ‘special provocative leaks’ aimed at discrediting Abkhazia are made every year during the tourist season.
‘Who is he [Basariya] anyways? Everyone is doing this on purpose. It’s all clear. It’s a provocation’, Zhurova said.
Likewise, Russian politician Alexei Kondratiev told Sputnik that ‘these provocations are clearly aimed’, noting that they were beneficial to Russia’s enemies.
‘Therefore, we, both Russians and Abkhazians, must understand this. Understand that we have a common history, a common faith. And no one will force us to turn away from each other’, Kondratiev said, adding that Basariya was just one person and unable to represent Abkhazia as a whole.
Russian MP Vitaly Milonov also hinted at an external factor, emphasising that such statements were ‘manifestations of some third, dark forces’ that want to see their homelands fail.
In addition to official commentary, Russian state-run media RT published a report claiming that Basariya had filed for personal bankruptcy through the courts in 2024, with a debt of over ₽430,000 ($5,500).
According to their report, Basariya worked in Abkhazia’s tourism and hotel industry from 2005–2016. As of 2020, he has headed the Abkhazian Cinema Fund, which does not have anyone listed among their board of trustees.
‘They don’t spend anything’
Previously, in June, Kristina Lakerbaya, an employee of Abkhazia’s Tourism Ministry, was fired after claiming that Russian tourists were low-budget.
‘Those tourists who come here for ₽300 ($4), I assure you, don’t spend anything. They’ll queue for a glass of juice or water at the hotel, but won’t buy anything on the street. They come and buy Doshirak noodles, while we want them to buy souvenirs and our agricultural produce’, Lakerbaya reportedly said during a meeting of the Abkhazian Union of Tourists.
The comments sparked immediate backlash in both Abkhazia and Russia.
In response, Abkhazian President Badra Gunba told the Tourism Ministry that it was ‘unacceptable to divide guests by their wealth’.
‘We have always been happy to see every tourist — this is a symbol of peace and a return to life’, Gunba said on 23 June.
‘I am sure that the love of millions of people for our country will not be overshadowed by these thoughtless words of officials’, he added.
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.
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