The Black Sea

Construction of a permanent Russian naval base in Ochamchire, in the illegally occupied statelet of Abkhazia, is underway just over 18 miles (30km) from a planned Chinese-operated deep-sea port in Anaklia.

Building the naval base represents an attempt to reassert Russian strategic influence in the Black Sea region, a theater of heightened importance due to the Russia-Ukraine war. While the port may not be ideally located for direct military engagement (it’s in the far east of the sea), it offers Russia a strategic logistical hub, potentially aiding supply lines. It is also further from the ports of Sevastopol and Novorossiysk, which have both been subject to Ukrainian attack and are regarded as vulnerable.

Anaklia could finally give Georgia a deep-sea port and so become a key trading hub between Europe and Asia. This might accelerate Georgia’s economic development and strengthen ties with the West. Much will depend on Georgia’s critical October election, which is lining up to be a referendum on the country’s strategic outlook.