Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of February 24-March 2, 2025

Presidential election in Abkhazia, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, pollution in Anapa, Abkhazian mimosa, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of February 24-March 2, 2025, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Presidential elections in Abkhazia

In November 2024, protests against the investment agreement with Russia began in Abkhazia. As a result, President Aslan Bzhaniya resigned. After negotiations between the government and the opposition, the duties of the president were temporarily assigned to Vice President Badra Gunba.

On March 1, the voting took place in the second round of the early presidential election in Abkhazia. The election has been declared valid. Acting President of Abkhazia Badra Gunba and former Minister of Economy Adgur Ardzinba, the leader of the opposition “Abkhaz People’s Movement”, participated in the second round. Badra Gunba received 54.73% of the votes and won the presidential election, while Adgur Ardzinba received 41.54% of the votes, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Abkhazia reported.

The violations recorded during the second round of the presidential election will not affect the election results. That was announced by Dmitry Marshan, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Abkhazia. “The gap between the candidates is more than 13-14% of the votes. Therefore, no violations recorded can affect the election results in any way,” stated Dmitry Marshan as quoted by the “Apsnypress” news agency. Analysts interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot” support the opinion voiced by Dmitry Marshan.

At a polling station in the village of Tsandripsh in the Gagra District, a group of people in masks opened fire and damaged ballots. The headquarters of Badra Gunba accused Adgur Ardzinba’s supporters of attacking the polling station. The Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation opened a case on terrorism.

A recording of the televised presidential debate between Badra Gunba and Adgur Ardzinba, which took place on February 27, was posted on the YouTube channel of the “Abkhaz Television”. The parties exchanged reproaches, but in the end the debate ended on a conciliatory note.

Drone attacks

On March 2, a drone alert was declared in Dagestan because of drones being discovered near the republic’s borders. The alert was lifted the same day, Dagestani leader Sergey Melikov reported on his Telegram channel.

According to the information reported by acting Governor of the Rostov Region Yuri Slyusar, on the night of March 1, the Russian air defence forces repelled in Novoshakhtinsk an attack by drones launched from the direction of Ukraine.

On February 26, the Russian air defence forces reported repelling a massive drone attack on Kuban from the direction of Ukraine. The governor reported that three private houses were damaged as a result of the drone attack. In the village of Verkhnebakanskoye near the city of Novorossiysk, fragments of a fallen drone damaged a gas pipe, a fire broke out, and a state of emergency was declared. At least fourteen houses were damaged as a result of a drone attack in the village of Starotitarovskaya and the village of Strelka in the Temryuk District of Kuban.

The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported the interception and destruction of 83 drones over the territory of the Krasnodar Territory. Other eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were neutralised over the waters of the Sea of Azov, and five more UAVs were destroyed over the Black Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reports. The next drone attack, on February 28, was also repelled.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

Yuri Vostryakov, a resident of the Akhtubinsky District, posted a video on WhatsApp* showing a speech delivered by a man resembling the Governor of the Astrakhan Region. According to the investigators’ version, the material posted by Yuri Vostryakov discredited the Russian Armed Forces. A court found Yuri Vostryakov guilty and fined him 30,000 roubles.

In Vladikavkaz, a court fined local resident, recognizing that an entry posted by the defendant on a social networking service discredited the Russian Armed Forces. The post of Mikael Baratov contains a photo with him holding a poster in his hands with the text expressing his negative attitude towards the military actions in Ukraine and the Russian president.

Pollution in Anapa

On December 15, two tankers crashed in the Kerch Strait because of a storm, resulting in an oil spill. About 50 kilometres of beaches have been polluted with fuel oil.

The beaches of Anapa are covered with snow, but activities to remove the fuel oil are being continued. No new fuel oil spills have been recorded, the Krasnodar Territory operational headquarters reported on February 24. However, two days after the coastal area was surveyed, new fuel oil spills were recorded at ten sections of the coast of Anapa and the Temryuk District.

A large number of birds covered in fuel oil are once again arriving at the headquarters for the liquidation of the consequences of the environmental disaster in Anapa and Novorossiysk.

During the activities to clean up of the Kerch Strait in the village of Dzhemete, rescue diver Semyon Lugovoy did not rise to the water surface. Doctors were not able to save him.

Scientists from Tomsk are testing their “Aeroschup” technology at the pier in the village of Dzhemete, the Kuban operational headquarters reports on its Telegram channel. “The scientists are trying to configure the device to collect fuel oil from the sea bottom. The technology has been developed at the Tomsk State University,” the Telegram channel reports.

Abkhazian mimosa

A ban on the import of mimosa from Abkhazia to Russia was imposed on the eve of the second round of the presidential election in Abkhazia. A Russian laboratory discovered a pest in a mimosa from Abkhazia, but an Abkhazian laboratory did not confirm the information. On March 1, the day of voting in the presidential election, the “Rosselkhoznadzor” (Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance) lifted the ban on the import of mimosa. The ban on the export of mimosa from Abkhazia could be used by candidates in the second round of the presidential election, Telegram users suggest.

The ban on the import of mimosa from Abkhazia was lifted in the interests of Badra Gunba, David Dasaniya suggested. His opponent objected that neither the ban nor its lifting had any political motives.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By March 2, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 6006 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2926 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 3080 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 1276 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 1132, in the Krasnodar Territory – 678, in the Rostov Region – 627, in the Stavropol Territory – 618, in the Astrakhan Region – 455, in North Ossetia – 351, in Chechnya – 231, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 234, in Ingushetia – 118, in Kalmykia – 111, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 98, and in Adygea – 77.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.