Translated material
What they fought for
Russia wants to adjust military cooperation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia
President Dmitry Medvedev, as if emphasizing the position of Russia, which blocked the decision in the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the mission of this international organization in Georgia, yesterday instructed the government and relevant relevant departments to prepare and sign agreements on military cooperation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both the presidential order and the country’s position in the UN Security Council did not come as a surprise: Russia is determined to retain in the South Caucasus what it managed to win last August. That is, the ability to deploy its troops on the territory of the republics recognized by it without regard to outside observers.The president allowed his subordinates to “make minor changes” to the draft military agreements already approved by the Russian government. The government has the opportunity to adjust the existing project and, quite likely, will take advantage of this opportunity, especially since the agreement will be signed at the intergovernmental level. That is, the finally agreed text will have to bear the signatures of Vladimir Putin on the Russian side, Alexander Ankvab on the Abkhaz side and Aslanbek Bulatsev on the South Ossetian side, if nothing changes in the personnel policy of the contracting parties, and Tskhinvali does not hesitate to entrust the signing to the Prime Minister, who actually does not have the opportunity to fulfill his duties, since he was, in fact, removed from office.
The meaning of the agreements is known - Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are going to help each other fight common enemies, as well as station military bases and contingents with each other. Naturally, it is difficult to imagine an Abkhazian or South Ossetian garrison somewhere in Kronstadt or Krasnoyarsk. But, for example, the issue of training officers for both republics can be resolved by agreement quite rationally. However, the main purpose of the treaties is exactly what UN observers would be happy to see if they were allowed to remain in South Ossetia and Abkhazia: we are talking about the “legalization” of Russian military bases in Java, Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), Gudauta, Ochamchira and possibly Babushera (Abkhazia).
Theoretically, one Russian brigade should be stationed in each of the republics - 3,800 people, that is, 7,600 people for both states recognized by Russia. In practice, Russia this spring also introduced border guards there, who formally belong to a different department, but in fact expand the declared format of the Russian military presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. By the way, the introduction of border guards from Russia to Abkhazia immediately caused a rather sharp reaction from the local opposition, ready to reproach President Sergei Bagapsh for now putting the hard-won Abkhazian independence under threat from Russia. This is obviously the opinion of an absolute minority, but its appearance in the public space cannot but be considered symptomatic.
Until military agreements have been concluded, the legal basis for the presence of Russian troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia looks lightweight: in fact, these are only orders of the commander-in-chief, suitable for a period of war, but no longer sufficient for the further international process. The agreements will formally legalize the presence of Russian troops and formalize a new regime for their presence in place of the peacekeeping missions canceled by last year’s war. True, only the contracting parties themselves and Nicaragua, which has joined them, recognize such legalization, but this will not change the essence of things: Russia will continue to consider itself entitled to keep its troops in these territories.
Meanwhile, not only the governments of the Russian Federation, Abkhazia and South Ossetia want to develop military cooperation, but also those who are fighting against the Russian government in Russia, and those who are not averse to making money from it. FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov said yesterday at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of the Russian Federation that small arms are being illegally supplied to Russia from the territory of the two republics, mostly captured from the Georgian military in August last year. Mr. Bortnikov reported that the Russian competent authorities stopped the supply of 170 small arms that would have fallen into the hands of southern Russian criminals or, even more unpleasantly, the North Caucasus armed underground. In this regard, the FSB director called on all responsible structures of the Southern Federal District to more closely monitor the Russian-Abkhazian and Russian-South Ossetian border.
Before recognition by Russia, both republics remained “gray zones” for many years - territories where Georgia’s sovereignty formally operated, but in fact their own, but neither of them was enough to really control everything that was happening. International humanitarian organizations that analyze small arms traffic in Eurasia have always classified these two regions as disadvantaged. If anyone hoped that the fact of recognition would instantly solve this problem, like many others facing the governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, then after the words of Mr. Bortnikov it should become clear: this is a delusion.
Last year's conflicts naturally added to the black market for weapons. And where there is demand, there is supply. Moreover, some of those who are now authoritative leaders of jihad in the North Caucasus, 15-16 years ago, began as voluntary assistants to Abkhazia in the fight against Georgia and, as is customary in the Caucasus, have not forgotten the old ties.