Abkhazia’s Shamba backtracks on plans for Russian naval base in Ochamchira

Abkhazia’s newly reappointed Foreign Minister, Sergey Shamba, has said there are currently ‘no plans’ to establish a Russian naval base in Abkhazia, despite earlier claims by officials to the contrary.

‘As for the Ochamchira port, there are no plans to establish a naval base there’, Shamba claimed, after emphasising at length the significance of Abkhaz-Russian security cooperation. 

Shamba made the comments in an interview with the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published on Thursday.

Shamba previously sounded optimistic about the base’s construction, noting in a January interview with Ria Novosti that it could become operational this year. The Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Oleskiy Neizhpapa noted a day later that they considered Russian warships a legitimate target no matter where they were located. 

Shamba’s comments in January built on an earlier announcement by Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhaniya in October that the Ochamchira base would become a ‘permanent location of deployment’ for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Just days before Shamba’s recent interview, investigative group Bellingcat, citing satellite imagery, reported that the construction work at the port in Ochamchira had been in an active preparation phase since the beginning of this year, including the development of new facilities and coastal defences.

On 10 July, the international naval and maritime defence outlet Naval News reported that a Russian Project 22870 support ship had been spotted docked in Ochamchira on 4–5 July, days after it was observed in its home port of Novorossiysk, some 370 kilometres north west.

The reports appeared to confirm speculation that, despite Russian authorities remaining silent about Bzhaniya’s announcement last year, the port in Ochamchira could potentially become a safer location for vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet — especially from Ukrainian naval drone attacks.

The significance of the Novorossiysk naval base in Russia’s military operations against Ukraine increased last year after Ukrainian attacks on the port of Sevastopol threatened Russian military capabilities, prompting the relocation of many vessels further east.

In October, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry swiftly condemned Bzhaniya’s announcement as an infringement on their territorial integrity. 

The announcement further fueled criticism of what critics have described as the Georgian Government’s policy of appeasement towards Russia. The government has faced significant domestic scrutiny over its alleged harassment of Georgian volunteer fighters in Ukraine and its perceived support for a favourable outcome for Russia in Ukraine.

The further expansion of Russia’s military presence in Abkhazia and its potential direct involvement in the theatre of Russia’s war against Ukraine could complicate Georgia’s long-standing ambitions since the 2008 August War to present itself as a stable hub for the transit of goods through its ports, including the proposed Anaklia port, which is located near Abkhazia.

Shamba’s interview with Russian media came just hours after he was reappointed to replace Inal Ardzinba, who was widely regarded as being closely aligned to the Kremlin. 

[Read more: Shamba reappointed Abkhazia’s foreign minister] 

 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.

Read in Armenian on CivilNet.