Russia begins ‘humanitarian’ electricity supplies to Georgia’s occupied Abkhazia

Russia has initiated electricity supplies to Georgia’s occupied region of Abkhazia, according to reports from the Russian state news agency TASS.

The so-called Ministry of Energy and Transport of the self-declared republic confirmed that humanitarian electricity supplies began earlier on Monday.

Jansug Nanba, the de facto Minister of Energy and Transport, said the electricity supply follows a schedule introduced on November 1, which imposes four-hour daily restrictions, split between the day and night.

The total electricity supply is capped at 327 million kilowatt-hours, a figure that the energy company Chernomorenergo says will meet Abkhazia’s needs until January or February, as long as the schedule is maintained.

The decision to begin the supplies came after an appeal from the so-called acting president of Abkhazia, Badri Gunba, who is also running for president in the upcoming elections scheduled for February 15. Social media users have speculated that the move signals Moscow’s support for Gunba’s candidacy.