Racha’s residents and the wider population found out, once again from Mountain Stories, that the Georgian Dream government gave an additional 700 hectares of land to the company owned by the Russian oligarch’s business partner. The government enacted this decision prior to transferring up to 105 000 hectares of forest in Racha-Qvemo Svaneti into a half-century-long effective ownership of Davit Khidasheli under the pretext of deer and bison breeding.
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The scheme employed for the transfer of 700 hectares is the same one as with the Davit Khidasheli case.
The company that was granted a gold-mining license by the government in Ghebi, Shovi, Uravi, and Gadamshi villages until 2036 is a purely Georgian one at a glance and formally based in Tbilisi.
The factory was registered in 2015 and from the foundation up to and including 2021, Aleksandre Kharebava held the majority of 94% of its shares. In November 2021, Kharebava sold off his entire 94% holding of Georgian Perspective LLC to Murman Tsotsoria for 200 GEL under a purchase agreement. By this time, Georgian Perspective already owned four gold-mining licenses in Oni municipality:
- In the vicinity of Glola and Shovi resort – covering 260.84 hectares, for 143 550 GEL
- Over the surrounding area of Ghebi (four regions), on 46.44 hectares, for 25 850 GEL
- In the neighboring region of Uravi, spanning 321.14 hectares, for 177 100 GEL
- On the adjacent territory of Gadamshi, over 70.32 hectares, for 39 050 GEL
Murman Tsotsoria is the director of Dizon Limited’s Georgia representative office, registered in 2006 by its parent company Dizon Limited, which is based in Britain’s Virgin Islands. This company belongs to Aleksandre and Tengiz Kharebava brothers. According to a document certified by a Moscow notary in 2006, Alekhandre Kharebava was the official representative of Dizon Limited in Georgia, and the enterprise was registered within the premises owned by him.
Tengiz Kharebava is a dual citizen of Georgia and Russia. He’s a 17% shareholder of the active pharmaceutical substances manufacturing company, Bioni LLC. A major 62% share of the same company is owned by Pharmapolis LLC, whose 99% share belongs to Industrial Investments.
Mikhail Evgeny’s son Shelkov is a major shareholder of VSMPO-AVISMA corporation, owns a 65.3% share, and serves as the deputy chairman of the board of directors. VSMPO-AVISMA is the largest titanium producer in the world, which is predominantly used in the chemical and military industries. Shelkov was sanctioned by the Ukrainian government even before the start of the war.
Shelkov worked at Rosoboronexport, where, according to himself, he got thanks to one Sergey Chemezov. Forbes reports that Chemezov is Putin’s friend and a former behind-the-scenes de-facto ruler of Rosoboronexport. The said state organization conducts the exports of military and dual-purpose products, services, and technology. Sergey Chemezov is currently a state corporation Rostech’s executive director. Rostech was founded as a result of a law signed by Putin in 2007.
A year ago, Mountain Stories reported that the government of Georgia handed over 104,712 hectares of forest in Racha and Kvemo Svaneti to Davit Khidasheli's company for 49 years of free use, albeit under an obligation of organizing a hunting farm. The forest fund transferred to Khidasheli is much larger than the national parks of Lagodekhi, Vashlovani, Javakheti, and Erusheti put together. Davit Khidasheli, himself, is the former vice-president of the largest Russian corporation SISTEMA, and a partner and friend of Vladimir Yevtushenkov, a now-Georgia-famous Russian oligarch close to Putin. The territory transferred for the establishment of hunting farms borders the Russian Federation and the occupied Tskhinvali region.
By the end of December 2022, in Racha, on the territory of Shovi near Mamisoni Pass, groups related to the Georgian Dream ruling party were granted the rights to construct 18-meter hotel-style residences. Local residents fear, that the apartments will be predominantly purchased by Russian nationals, who have been flooding across the border into Georgia en mass since the start of the war with Ukraine. The proliferation of Russian citizens owning private property at a stone’s throw from the Russian border may further charge the already-heated situation within the borderline regions. Shovi resort is the last region within Georgian control along the so-called Ossetia military pass, which connects Georgia with Russian-occupied North Ossetia through the Mamisoni Pass. Within a wider annexation of the adjacent region, Mamisoni Pass has been occupied by Russia since 2009 (Russia has been incrementally moving occupational lines deeper into Georgia ever since the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, a practice referred to as - sliding borderization). The now-deserted village remnant Ghurshevi, part of river Chanchakhi valley, and a 2 km stretch of road leading to Mamisoni have subsequently ended up on the Russian-controlled side of the occupational line. During his meeting with the locals on September 2nd, 2020, Partnership fund executive director and a Bidzina Ivanishvili trustee - Davit Saganelidze, talked about the importance of re-opening this road for use, which has served as an arterial link between the two now-estranged regions. The construction of this road is underway in full swing from the Russian side, and on 13th December 2022, a half-kilometer-long tunnel was opened in Nijni (south) Zaramag, which is the closest administrative center to Mamisoni Pass. Russia's Vladimir Putin has remotely joined the ceremonial opening.
Racha’s resident Vazha Tsetsadze, who fought against Russia in the Georgian and now Ukrainian wars, is wholly convinced that Russia’s objective is to take over north Racha, which is particularly rich in minerals. Deserted villages devoid of inhabitants on one side, make it easier for the Georgian government to swallow Russia’s moves with minimal backlash, and on the other, helps Russia more easily appropriate more Georgian territory.
Racha is the most depopulated region in Georgia. In the last 20 years, the decrease is up to 40%. Only one or two people live in 13 villages of upper Racha at a time and 6 villages that once flourished are already remnants. The death rate is three times higher than the birth rate.
