SUMMARY OF RUSSIAN MILITARY ACTIVITIES IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TBILISI 001268

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM GG
SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF RUSSIAN MILITARY ACTIVITIES IN
ABKHAZIA: APRIL - JULY 2008


1. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador attended a July 22 meeting
at the MFA for NATO Ambassadors. A paper prepared by the
Ministry of Internal Affairs was distributed, summarizing
Russian military activities in Abkhazia this spring. The
paper is not classified, but the MFA asked that it be treated
as sensitive because of some of the sources of information.
End summary.

Begin Text


2. (SBU) Putin's Decree:
-- On March 6, 2008, Russia withdrew from the 1996 CIS
agreement prohibiting governments inter alia from military
relations with Abkhazia.
-- On April 16, 2008, Russian President Vladimer Putin issued
a decree urging the federal government to establish direct
relations with the de facto authorities of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia


3. (SBU) Increased Number of Peacekeepers:
-- Before April 29, 2008, the number of Russian peacekeepers
deployed in Abkhazia amounted to roughly 2000 soldiers.
-- The Russian government claims that by May 4, 2008 the
number of their troops in Abkhazia increased up to 2500, but
according to our information their real numbers exceeds
official data.
-- On April 29, 2008, the Russian peacekeeping contingent
deployed in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone increased
greatly:
-- An echelon of 30-32 wagons crossed the Georgian-Russian
Border near the river Psou by railway carrying 26 units of
camouflaged armor vehicles, among them: BMD vehicles, D-30
type howitzers etc.
-- The echelon had 4 additional passenger cars, carrying
soldiers from Novorosiisk military base.
-- The military vehicles were unloaded in Ochamchire. One
part of the soldiers and armament was sent to Tkvarcheli
district and another part to Gali district.


4. (SBU) Deployment of Airborne Troops:
-- The PKF units recently deployed in Abkhazia also include a
joint battalion (545 soldiers) of the Novorossiysk and Pskov
Airborne Division, thus violating the 1994 agreement.
-- They are stationed in village Okhurei of Tkvarcheli
district and Reka of Ochamchire district and are patrolling
at checkpoints no. 402 and no. 403 (near villages Arasadzisi
and Akamara). This fact was further confirmed by Russian
official newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda" on July 9, 2008.


5. (SBU) Deployment of MOD GRU Unit
-- Approximately 250 Chechen members of Vostok and Zapad
battalions of the Main Intelligence Unit of the Russian
Defense Ministry have been deployed in Abkhazia.
-- Currently they are patrolling in Gali district (Gudava and
Primorsk villages) and at checkpoints no. 208 (Meore Otobaia
village) and no. 109 (Sida village)


6. (SBU) Russian Deployment in Abkhazia
-- In April-June, according to our information Russia has
additionally deployed in Abkhazia approximately: BUK air
defense system, 50 aviation specialists, 30 military experts,
100 communication and antiaircraft defense experts, 40 D-30
type howitzers, 10 BM-21 "Grad" systems, 20 Shilka
ZU-23-2/ZU-23-4 AA guns, 120 anti-tank missles and 2 MI-24
helicopters.


7. (SBU) Building New Check-Points:
-- On May 1, 2008, new illegal checkpoints were opened on
almost every strategically important road in Ochamchire and
Tkvarcheli districts, among them at Nakarghali, Arasatsisi
and Akamara.
-- In violation of the 1994 agreement, the Russian side does
not allow Georgian and international observers to monitor
their locations, including the Bombora military base in
Gudauta.
-- Russia is currently operating checkpoints at the following
sites: Nakargali, Otobaia, Nabakevi, Pichori, Chuburkhinji,
Dikhazurga, Saberio, Lekukhona, Muzhava, Rechkhi, and Akamara.


8. (SBU) Shooting Down Georgian UAV
-- On April 20, 2008, at 10:00 AM a Russian fighter plane
entering from the Russian Federation attacked and shot down a
Georgian Unmanned Flying Vehicle "Hermes-450" above Gagida
village in Gali district.
-- This fact was further confirmed by the UN special
investigation.


9. (SBU) Railway Troops
-- On May 31, 2008, the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed

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400 soldiers of Volgograd's 76th Unit of Railway Forces in
Abkhazia.
-- These forces are preparing railway platforms for
transportation of military equipment and construction
materials from Sokhumi to Ochamchire, even though there is no
economic activity in Ochamchire today.
-- Russian authorities accuse Georgia of preparation to war,
while they themselves prepare infrastructure for military
purposes.


10. (SBU) Russian Non-Peacekeeping Troops
-- Currently Russian non-peacekeeping forces are stationed in
the following places: Ochamchire, Babushera, Bombora,
Akamara, Sokhumi, Tsebelda, Okhurei, Gagra and Lata.


11. (SBU) Bombora Military Base
-- At present, Russian military units and equipment are
stationed along with Abkhaz separatist forces at several
military bases.
-- Bombora (Gudauta): By mid-July 2008 several hundred more
solidiers and 44 military vehicles were observed at the
Bombora military base, which should have been closed
according to the Istanbul agreement of 1999.
-- With Russian assistance, three large barracks are being
rebuilt at the Bombora military base, waiting for deployment
of fresh forces.
-- On June 6, 2008, several "SU-25" and "SU-27" type fighter
planes (armed) were detected at the Bombora military base in
Gudauta.


12. (SBU) Ochamchire Military Base
-- Ochamchire (Seaport): On April 17, 2008, several "Ural"
trucks carrying 300 Russian contract soldiers entered the
military base in Ochamchire seaport.
-- On the same day, one "ZIL-131" military vehicle with 2
units of antiaircraft system ZU-23 and 15 containers with
shells, as well as four GAZ-66 vehicles with special
communication equipment was deployed there.
-- On May 3, 2008, 5 units of 120mm artillery systems and
several antiaircraft defense systems BUK-M1 were located at
the military base in Ochamchire seaport.


13. (SBU) Okhurei Military Base
-- Okhurei: Approximately two months ago, with the help of
Russian specialists, the construction of Okhurei military
base in Tkvarcheli district was finished.
-- On July 8, 2008, additional Russian soldiers, 4 BTR-70 and
4 BRDM type military vehicles and several anti-aircraft
systems were deployed at the base.


14. (SBU) Sokhumi Military Base
-- At present, the Russians are rebuilding the military base
in Sokhumi's Maiak (lighthouse) settlement.
-- On April 30, about 40 train cars entered a railway station
in Sokhumi loaded with various types of armament, part of the
cargo was taken to Maiak military base, and another part to
Tsebelda mountain battalion.


15. (SBU) Antiaircraft Defense
-- On May 3, 2008, antiaircraft defense systme BUK-M1 were
deployed in Abkhazia


16. (SBU) Abkhazia Defense Minister's Comment
-- In his July 7, 2008 interview with Russian information
agency "Utro", de-facto Minister of Defense Merab Kishmaria
declared that, "Russian instructors prepare Abkhazian
soldiers. I pay them according to contract...We are just
doing this without publicity".


17. (SBU) Russian Officials in Abkhazia
-- On April 30, 2008, former head of Russia's peacekeeper's
staff, Aleksandr Pavliushko was appointed de-facto Deputy
Minister of Defense by a decree from Abkhazian de-facto
President.
-- Since March 2005, Head of General Staff of Abkhazian
de-facto Ministry of Defense is Anatoly Zaitsev, a
high-ranking official of the Russian Ministry of Defense.


18. (SBU) Detainment of Illegal Weapons
-- On June 17, 2008, Georgian police detained a military
cargo, mainly consisting of 20 anti-tank guided missiles,
which the Russian peacekeepers were covertly transporting to
Zugdidi base without any official documents specifying the
origin or destination of the cargo.


19. (SBU) Military Trainings in North Caucasus
-- On July 15, 2008, large-scale military trainings
unprecedented for the last 20 years "Caucasus-2008" started
in the North Caucasus Military District (NCMD).

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-- Airborne units from Pskov and Novorosiisk are conducting
operations near the Roki and Mamisoni mountain passes, right
at the Russian-Georgian border.
-- 8000 soldiers and 700 armored vehicles from NCMD
participate in these trainings: airborne units, air force
units, antiaircraft units, Black Sea and Caspian Sea Fleet,
Federal Security Service and Internal Troops of the Ministry
of Internal Affairs.


20. (SBU) Eliminating Armed Grouping
-- On September 20, 2007, special task units of the MIA of
Georgia neutralized an armed grouping of 10 people in Kodori
Gorge, which has planned an attack on the new road connecting
Upper Abkhazia with the rest of Georgia.
-- The commander of the grouping and his deputy were killed
in an exchange of fire.
-- They were identified as: Igor Muzavatkin - Vice-Colonel of
Russian armed forces, former member of the Collective
Peacekeeping Forces, who served on a contract basis in the
border troops division of the Abkhazian separatist security
service; and Artur Zorin - Major of Russian armed forces,
also former member of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces.


21. (SBU) Possible Target - Kodori Gorge
-- Increase in the number of Russian soldiers, military
equipment, military trainings and intelligence activity near
the Kodori Gorge indicates the interest of Russian forces.
-- The proof for this was an attack on Georgian police
officers near Achamkhara Mountain who were patrolling the
gorge on July 9, 2008.

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