Otari Kobakhidze, an ethnic Georgian who is a citizen of Russia, has been expelled from Abkhazia following a controversial video he posted during his visit to Sukhumi (Sukhum).
Kobakhidze, along with his daughter, entered Abkhazia from Russia through the Psou checkpoint. He visited Sukhumi, where he filmed a video in his ancestral home, which he said he left amidst the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia.
Attached to the video, which was shared on social media, was the caption, ‘Abkhazia, Sukhumi, after 33 years, we have returned to our homeland. This was my dream. The house is completely destroyed’.
The video caused outrage across Abkhazia, as the war and subsequent ethnic cleansing of Georgians remains a sensitive topic.
After the video went viral, officers from Abkhazia’s State Security Service (SGB) arrived in Gagra, where Kobakhidze and his daughter were staying, and detained him.
The SGB then shared a video on its official website in which Kobakhidze apologised on camera for his actions.
‘Forgive me, forgive my daughter, for what she filmed, for what she put on the internet without thinking’, Kobakhidze said.
‘I apologise to the Abkhazian people for what happened’.
The accompanying SGB voiceover said that ‘such videos offend the patriotic feelings of the citizens of Abkhazia, so in order to avoid conflict situations and further escalation of passions in society, Kobakhidze was escorted by SGB officers outside of Abkhazia’.
Kobakhidze has also been banned from entering Abkhazia in the future, the SGB said.
The SGB’s message concluded by saying that its officers would more strictly scrutinise social media to prevent similar situations from occurring.
Ethnic Georgians who are citizens of Russia can enter Abkhazia after receiving a special pass from the SGB, but first must fill out a questionnaire, which is then reviewed by the SGB within 10 days. Typically, residents of Abkhazia, relatives, close friends, or acquaintances help them fill out the questionnaire.
Citizens of Georgia can on paper come to Abkhazia by obtaining a visa, which is issued through Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry, however in practice, few are permitted to enter.
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.
Nate Ostiller
