Representatives of the Georgian opposition are demanding that the government name the company that delivered fuel to occupied Abkhazia.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze confirmed that fuel was indeed delivered to the region from territory controlled by official Tbilisi, but added that it was carried out by private business, not the government. According to him, “all such steps are taken in accordance with the law.”
Under Georgia’s Law “On Occupied Territories,” economic activity in non-controlled regions is permitted only in exceptional cases — based on special consent issued under procedures established by a government legal act, provided it serves “the state interests of Georgia, the goals of peaceful conflict resolution, de-occupation, restoring trust among the war-affected population, or humanitarian purposes.”
Nika Gvaramia, leader of the opposition alliance Coalition for Change, suggests that the fuel delivery took place with prior government authorization, while “the timing of the consent and its justification remain unknown to the public.”
He notes that:
- “The Russian military machine is experiencing an acute fuel shortage, while Russian military bases are stationed on the territory of occupied Abkhazia”;
- “The Ivanishvili regime, especially recently, has emphatically and purposefully pointed to the necessity of cooperation with Russia.”
According to Gvaramia’s assessment, “given Georgia’s security and territorial integrity interests, as well as Western sanctions imposed against Russia, the import of fuel into Russian-controlled territory cannot be considered justified by legally permissible humanitarian or socio-economic goals.”
“Today, the Ivanishvili regime admitted that, with their permission (and effectively by themselves), an action contrary to Georgia’s sovereign interests is taking place,” Gvaramia wrote, also accusing the government of violating the Constitution.
Gvaramia demands that the business entity that supplied fuel to occupied Abkhazia be named, and to clarify “who, when, and on what formal grounds signed off on this act of betrayal.”
At this stage, no corresponding legal act has been published on the government administration’s website.
According to opposition politician Roman Gotsiridze’s assessment, the import of fuel into Abkhazia by a Georgian company with government permission “effectively means supplying Russian military bases.”
“It must immediately become known which company imported fuel into Abkhazia, in what volume, and whether the Russian occupying forces used it. It is also possible that the fuel could have been transferred onto Russian territory. This company, complicit in treason, will not escape sanctions,” Gotsiridze wrote on social media.
Beso Shengelia, a member of the United National Movement party, wrote about the potential fuel delivery to occupied Abkhazia on August 11:
“Local residents spotted four large fuel tankers (trucks) crossing into the occupied territory under the supervision and guard of armed individuals.”
According to Irakli Pavlenishvili, one of the party’s leaders, Georgian Dream’s argument that this gasoline is supposedly intended partly for the needs of ethnic Georgians residing in Gali “is completely untrustworthy.”
“According to our information, the supplied fuel is entirely at the disposal of the occupying regime and the sworn enemy of Georgia’s freedom,” Pavlenishvili stated.
- At the peak of the tourist season, occupied Abkhazia is experiencing a severe shortage of gasoline and diesel fuel. This was caused by disruptions in fuel supplies from Russia, which in turn are linked to Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and other energy infrastructure.
- Information regarding fuel deliveries from territory controlled by Tbilisi has already spread across Abkhaz media outlets.