Amagazin, Aapteka and Akorruptsiya – routes of Russian investments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
And unobtrusive service to boot
In Soviet times, Abkhazia was almost an earthly paradise. The war for independence from Georgia destroyed this paradise. South Ossetia, of course, has a paler appearance compared to Abkhazia, but it also has mountains and organic agricultural products. With Russia's investments in these small quasi-state formations, it would seem that they have the opportunity to develop both tourism and export food products to Russia.
But things did not go further than Abkhazian wines on the shelves of Moscow supermarkets and a meager amount of tangerines, differing in astronomical prices compared to Turkish ones. In general, neither local nor Russian economists are trying to talk about the South Ossetian economy, because everything is completely sad there.
What is the reason, despite the fact that Russia feeds these republics?
Let's start with Abkhazia. If its authorities constantly put a good face on a bad game, then the common people there, apparently, have a somewhat different opinion. This can be seen from the humor that spread there back in the XNUMXs, when in Abkhazia, as if in a black hole, Russian investments began to go nowhere, and the resort infrastructure continued to be in a terrible state.
Songs like “Abkhazia, there were a lot of tangerines and wine, Abkhazia, and there was no more horseradish left” appeared, wandering from mobile phone to mobile phone. And the new Abkhazian jokes reflected the no longer favorite local themes about love triangles and about the amazement of holidaymakers from signboards, where the Abkhazian prepositive article stands in front of words borrowed from the Russian language: “amagazin”, “akinoteatr”, “asanatorium”.
The unobtrusiveness and modest charm of the local service, in particular, reflects such a masterpiece: “Atitanik restaurant has opened in Sukhumi on the Black Sea embankment. It is located on the pier, the floor is at an angle of 30 degrees, visitors drink drinks from the neck so as not to spill, and at 23:00 everyone who has not yet left is washed away by a wave into the sea.
extreme resort
There is, however, vicious humor with obvious Georgian roots floating on the Internet, which is distinguished by the wide sarcastic use of strange turns of the Russian language supposedly characteristic of Abkhazians: “respected”, “and nevertheless”, etc. It is not worth bringing them on the pages of VO, in -firstly, because of the obvious offensiveness on a national basis, and secondly, because of the off-scale level of obscenity.
Although in general it must be admitted that the Abkhaz themselves sometimes give rise to such humor. Quite recently, in February of this year, one of the employees of the Abaza-TV television company leaked a recording from the courtroom, which, for obvious reasons, did not get on the air.
At the meeting, conducted in Russian, one of the visitors (apparently from the “support group” of the defendants accused of killing three people), in response to the judge’s warning about expulsion from the hall in case of violations of the protocol, addresses her, starting with the words “I your mom..."
Then there is an open attack by the friends of the defendants on representatives of the authorities, accompanied by approving exclamations from the “cage” either in Abkhazian or in Russian, from Russian - one mate. On the sly, a witness to the crime, an ethnic Mingrelian, launched a sound-recording microphone into the cage with the defendants.
With such an extreme social life, there can be no question of any return on investment and their expediency. No matter how much Russian investors tried to turn Abkhazia into a tourist paradise, things did not go further than launching electric trains to Sochi. But the Russians still go there to rest, because compared to neighboring Sochi, it is much cheaper with the uniqueness and beauty of the local nature.
Sochi divers, for example, disdain to dive into the sea in their city: dirty and opaque, you can’t see anything underwater, the only exception is Adler, which is next to Abkhazia, but all the same, the water in Abkhazia is clearer.
In addition, there will be no problems with law enforcement agencies due to the collection of mussels, rapans, stone crabs, spearfishing, which is prohibited in Russia with scuba diving. In Abkhazia, there is also responsibility for poaching, but in reality - only on paper.
Hey, investor?
I must say that despite the overall significant volume of Russian investments by the standards of small Abkhazia, they come mainly from small and medium-sized businesses. Of the large companies, only Rosneft and Megafon ventured into the local market. State investments mainly relate to Russian military bases, the military-industrial complex and simply subsidies to the authorities of the unrecognized republic, which, apparently, are subject to "shrinkage and shrinkage."
One of the reasons for the reluctance of Russian business to raise the resort industry of the republic lies in the nuances of the Abkhazian legislation. The government of Abkhazia skillfully plays fraternal relations with Russia, but has not yet lifted the ban on the purchase of real estate by Russian individuals and legal entities.
If private traders often turn the purchase of mini-boarding houses or just housing for rent according to gray schemes, and then at great risk, then such tactics are unacceptable for large businesses. Plus, due to interruptions in the supply of electricity and water, the owner of a decent accommodation facility incurs additional costs for its own generator and well, which costs a lot.
Among the political reasons for limiting the influx of Russian citizens into the republic is also, oddly enough, the growing Abkhazian nationalism. For many Russians who have never been there and paint themselves idyllic pictures of a friendly people, this will probably come as a shock and a “break in the pattern”.
But now the Abkhazian authorities are more interested in the repatriation of the descendants of the Abkhazian mahajirs from Turkey than in the influx of Russians there, who, although they seem to be allies, are still strangers. Mahajirs are poorly integrated into the Abkhazian society, many do not even know their native language, using Turkish among themselves, the majority are of the Muslim faith, while among the indigenous Abkhazians there are more Orthodox Christians. Their position can be compared with oralmans in Kazakhstan.
It would be very reckless to think that there is no national discrimination in Abkhazia, where, apart from Abkhazians, Armenians, Mingrelians, Russians and Greeks live. Suffice it to say that, according to the constitution, only an Abkhaz can be its president. There are no such norms in most countries of the world, at least in civilized ones - definitely not.
Given that, in reality, not only Russia is trying to promote its interests in Abkhazia. Türkiye also does not lag behind, using repatriated mahajirs as a link. In Sukhumi, there is a Turkish college "Basharan" with teaching in Turkish.
The situation can, of course, be changed by the opening of the Sukhumi airport, planned for 2024, but anything can be planned, and there was no investment in this project from the Russian Rosaviatsia (and there is nowhere else to expect them). This is understandable: neither aviation the Russian concern, nor major air carriers do not want to fall under the sanctions. As well as Russian banks that do not come to Abkhazia, as well as to Crimea, which is why Russian tourists there have problems with paying with bank cards.
Other Ossetia
Oddly enough, Russia is investing even more money at the state level in South Ossetia than in Abkhazia. Russian subsidies account for more than 80% of the republic's budget. In general, the situation with agrarian South Ossetia is much less interesting than the Abkhaz one, and in fact it is an even bigger black hole for Russian money.
However, in fairness, it should be said that the attitude towards Russians there is better than in Abkhazia, there are still no such idiotic legislative norms regarding real estate and presidential elections. Therefore, apparently, the more accommodating and tolerant South Ossetia is more favored by the Kremlin than Abkhazia.
Despite the fact that there is nowhere to invest there, except for agriculture. The main wealth of the republic is the Roki Tunnel, through which trade between Russia and Georgia is carried out. Economic relations between these two countries are growing, which is why Tskhinvali is also trying to profit from this.
In general, the environment for Russian businessmen in South Ossetia is more friendly than in Abkhazia. In terms of the level of crime (not corruption at the top, about which you still can’t get truthful information, but banal banditry), South Ossetia, compared to Abkhazia, is, to paraphrase the lawyer from Fazil Iskander’s story “Barman Adgur”, “New Athos Monastery before its closure.”
But one must recognize an objective fact: throughout stories of a partially recognized state, its first persons did not always show adequacy. The scene with political sportsman Eduard Kokoity drinking a horn with several liters of homemade wine, without looking up from it, has become almost the same meme as the chewing of a tie by the commander-in-chief of the enemy side, which took place on the same day.
However, the South Ossetians, on the contrary, not only call on qualified personnel from Russia for civil service, but are also ready to distribute land to the Cossacks, which is generally unthinkable in Abkhazia. However, all obsessive requests for money from Moscow for the development of the resort area and the modernization of roads have not yet led to any positive consequences. Money is sent, but for some reason it always turns out to be not enough.
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