Sergei Shamba Labels Georgia as Main Threat to Occupied Abkhazia

"Despite the failure of their efforts to unite Abkhazia and South Ossetia through military means, Georgia remains the primary threat to our country. Given the threats facing us, the main task, as before, is to address security issues," Sergei Shamba said during a roundtable discussion titled Abkhazia in Search of a Safe and Stable Development Perspective, according to Russian media.

The de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that Abkhazia's military budget has doubled since 2020, adding that "the country's leadership places great emphasis on the development of its armed forces."

"Between 2020 and 2024, we have worked on improving the organizational and staff structure, steadily increasing the combat capacity of the armed forces. These efforts aim to introduce new combat methods, adapt the army to modern armed conflict conditions, and enhance the military's overall combat potential," Shamba explained.

He also stated that the intensity of training for military command structures has recently increased significantly, aimed at improving troop capabilities, in coordination with the Russian Armed Forces.

"The Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense has taken measures to secure the airspace of the Republic of Abkhazia against drone attacks. These and other steps, strengthened by our military-strategic ties with Russia, give us confidence in our ability to repel potential aggression from Georgia," Shamba concluded.