Opposition leader Gvaramia demands answers over fuel shipment from Tbilisi to Russian-controlled Abkhazia

Opposition Coalition for Change leader Nika Gvaramia has demanded details about a reported fuel shipment from territory controlled by Georgia to Russian-controlled Abkhazia region, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday confirmed that fuel had entered the region amid the shortage.

Kobakhidze said the fuel had been supplied by a private business rather than the Georgian government and that the shipment was carried out in accordance with Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories. 

Gvaramia said the government's explanation raised questions about whether the shipment had received prior authorisation and called for the authorities to disclose which business was involved, how much fuel was supplied, when the shipment took place and on what legal grounds it was allowed.

"The government has confirmed that strategic goods - fuel - are entering Russian-controlled Abkhazia from territory controlled by Tbilisi," Gvaramia said in a social media post.

He argued that Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories generally restricted unauthorised economic activity in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), while allowing certain exceptions, including for humanitarian purposes and with government authorisation.

Gvaramia said the circumstances should be investigated given the presence of Russian military bases in Abkhazia. He alleged that supplying fuel to the region could potentially benefit Russian military infrastructure and questioned whether the shipment was compatible with Georgia's national security interests and Western sanctions imposed on Russia.

He called for the authorities to establish "which business entity" was involved and "who, when and for what formal reason" authorised the operation.

Kobakhidze, meanwhile, has maintained that the fuel was supplied by private business and that any such activity was conducted within the framework of the Law on Occupied Territories.