In occupied Abkhazia, specifically in Ochamchire, where the Russian government plans to construct a permanent naval base, a vessel of the Russian Navy has been observed. Naval News reported on this development. The ship belongs to Project 22870; it was in its homeport in Novorossiysk on June 28, disappeared on July 1, and was sighted in Ochamchire on July 4-5.
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According to Naval News, on July 3, Ukraine's main intelligence division attacked Novorossiysk with Ukrainian Magura sea drones, striking the port where the ship spotted in Ochamchire was also docked. Naval News suggested that “One hypothesis therefore, is that the ship was at sea and sought refuse from the attack in Ochamchire.”
There are three ships of Project 22870 in Russia's Black Sea Fleet: the rescue tug SB-742, Professor Nikolay Muru, and Captain Guriev. The fourth ship, Vasily Bekh (SB-739), was sunk by Ukraine in June 2022 near Zayn Island. Naval News was unable to confirm which of the remaining three Project 22870 ships were present at Ochamchire.
"Although the Project 22870 ships are termed Rescue Tugs, they can be thought of as general purpose support ships. They often accompany combatants and have been known to carry missile systems during the ongoing war. This is the sister ship of the Vasily Bekh (SB-739) which was sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles near Snake Island on June 17, 2022. At the time Vasily Bekh was carrying an SA-15 Gauntlet (‘Tor’) air defense missile system," Naval News reported.
Several small patrol boats of Russia's Federal Security Service had previously been stationed in Ochamchire. However, the sighting of a warship in the port marks the first such instance after Aslan Bzhania, president of the de facto republic, announced plans to establish a permanent Russian Navy base there.
"The move is controversial since the port is in Georgia, which implies bringing Georgia into the Russo-Ukraine War. Russia could attempt to use the port as a refuge from attacks. And they could even a safe base to launch combat missions from.
Ukraine’s options will be complicated because it is located on Georgian territory, despite being controlled by breakaway Abkhazia... It remains to be seen whether more Russian Navy ships will follow. Possibly the reaction of the Georgian government, and the international community, will be a factor in this. Analysts will likely be watching developments closely," Naval News stated in its article.
On October 5, 2023, Aslan Bzhania, the de facto president of occupied Abkhazia, announced in an interview with the Russian publication Izvestia that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed an agreement to establish a permanent Russian Navy base in the Ochamchire region in the near future.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia expressed concern over Bzhania's statement, stating, "Such actions constitute a grave violation of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and represent another provocative attempt to legitimize the illegal occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
In January 2024, Sergei Shamba, Secretary of the Security Council of the de facto Republic of Abkhazia, indicated that construction of the base had not yet commenced, but planning was underway. "However, operational deployment may commence this year as stipulated in the agreement," Shamba informed Russian media.
