Russia will place a permanent naval base in occupied Abkhazia. It should become an alternative to Sevastopol

Russia signed an agreement on the creation of a permanent naval base in the city of Ochamchire, in the occupied part of Georgia — Abkhazia.

The Russian protege in Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania informed that the agreement should contribute to "increasing Russiaʼs defense capability" and "strengthen cooperation."

According to him, the base of the Russian fleet will appear in Ochamchire in the near future.

"Reuters" writes that the creation of a base in Abkhazia may indicate that Russia is looking for alternatives to Sevastopol due to attacks from Ukraine.

• Abkhazia spontaneously declared independence from Georgia in 1992. This happened with the active military support of Russia, which led to an open war with Tbilisi. After the five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008, the Kremlin recognized the "independence" of the region, although most of the world community still recognizes Georgiaʼs sovereignty over Abkhazia.