Marianna Kotova

31 Posts

0 Followers

Marianna is a journalist from Abkhazia with 12 years of experience.

Jansuh Adleiba. Photo: Marianna Kotova/OC Media.

Abkhazia

Abkhazian hunger striker gets presidential promise of lower petrol prices

by Marianna Kotova

•3 min read

Jansuh Adleiba, an Abkhazian public activist, ended a three-week hunger strike after meeting with Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhaniya who promised him that within two weeks Abkhazian petrol prices would be as low as they are in Russia. Adleiba met Bzhaniya on 28 June. The president also told the activist that they would have a more in-depth discussion on 4 July. The same day, Adleiba also met with opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba, who also told Adleiba that there was now sufficient reason to

Abkhazia

Abkhazian TikToker charged with treason

by Marianna Kotova

•2 min read

For the first time ever, an Abkhazian citizen has been accused of treason. Twenty-eight-year-old Tkuarchal (Tkvarcheli) native Daur Buava is alleged to have campaigned for ‘the annexation of Abkhazia to Georgia’ on social media. Buava was convicted in absentia. According to his most recent videos, Buava currently appears to be living in Tbilisi. In the videos published by Daur Buava, of which most, investigators allege, were posted on TikTok, the young man describes the various benefits tha

A beach in Sukhumi (Sukhum). Photo: Dominik Cagara/OC Media.

Abkhazia

Abkhazia goes all-in for tourism in 2022

by Marianna Kotova

•4 min read

Abkhazia braces itself for a record-breaking tourist boom — but many fear that the current tourism infrastructure might buckle under the strain. The 2022 summer tourism season in Abkhazia is expected by many to be the most profitable in decades, as they brace for the projected arrival of an unprecedented wave of Russian tourists. In July 2021, the Ministry of Tourism announced a record number of tourists over the past 30 years, at around 1.5 million vacationers — more than double the number

Abkhazia

Abkhazia slams ‘provocations’ from Georgia and Ukraine

by Marianna Kotova

•2 min read

Abkhazia’s Foreign Minister, Inal Ardzinba, has warned about ‘provocations’ aimed at Abkhazia from Georgia as well as those by Ukraine generally, in a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The minister began the conference in Sukhum (Sukhumi) on Friday by accusing Georgia of conducting a ‘hybrid information war’. Ardzinba said the ministry was developing ‘special software’ to analyse publications about Abkhazia in foreign and international media.

Abkhazia

Abkhazia to ban all initiatives that include meetings between Georgians and Abkhazians

by Marianna Kotova

•1 min read

Abkhazian Foreign Minister Inal Ardzinba has said that initiatives, including those by international organisations, that include meetings between Abkhazian and Georgian representatives on neutral territory will be banned, as they work ‘in the interest of Georgia’. Ardzinba made the statement at an 8 April meeting between Abkhazian government officials and representatives of international organisations including the Red Cross, the UN agriculture agency, and World Vision, among others. ‘The

The messages on signs read: ‘apologise and leave’, ‘the nation doesn't trust you', ‘people are tired of lies’. Photo: OC Media.

Abkhazia

Criminal investigations follow Abkhazia protest violence

by Marianna Kotova

•4 min read

Prosecutors in Abkhazia have launched a criminal investigation into a protest on Tuesday that descended into violence, leaving several journalists injured. On Wednesday, the Prosecutor General’s Office said they were investigating based on organising and participating in mass riots and using violence against a government official, accompanied by destruction of property. Tuesday’s demonstration in the centre of the Abkhazian capital, Sukhum (Sukhumi), was organised by opposition leaders and

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