The region of Abkhazia, in Georgia's northwest, has fought to assert its identity since the collapse of the Soviet Union. A bloody war in 1992-1993 claimed the lives of at least 35,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians. Following the short Georgian-Russian War in August 2008, Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia, but that status has been recognized only by its chief sponsor, Russia, and a handful of other UN member states -- Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru. Since the 2008 conflict, Russia has donated at least $150 million to help support Abkhazia, but that has done little to improve the daily lives of some 240,000 residents who must endure the fallout of the so-called frozen conflict. (Text and photos by Anthony Georgieff)
Abandoned Buildings And Idle Hands In Abkhazia
![In the Soviet era, the Sukhumi Pier hosted a restaurant and café, but it has stood abandoned on the Black Sea coast for the past 20 years.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a768b568-eb0f-44ef-a76d-28bfddd8c372_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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In the Soviet era, the Sukhumi Pier hosted a restaurant and café, but it has stood abandoned on the Black Sea coast for the past 20 years.
![People take an evening stroll through the shell of the Sukhumi Pier.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8f6b1f29-bc30-4192-b5d8-fe33cc134dee_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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People take an evening stroll through the shell of the Sukhumi Pier.
![Once the playground of the Soviet elite and a destination for Soviet workers, Sukhumi is littered with bombed-out buildings that have remained derelict since the 1992-1993 conflict.](https://gdb.rferl.org/113aeebb-60d6-47f2-9270-ea4e2dd7b214_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Once the playground of the Soviet elite and a destination for Soviet workers, Sukhumi is littered with bombed-out buildings that have remained derelict since the 1992-1993 conflict.
![Men relax in Sukhumi. Precise statistics are not available, but locals claim unemployment reaches 80 percent in some parts of Abkhazia.](https://gdb.rferl.org/213ebe77-cd6b-4f61-a62f-4f174e5346fc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Men relax in Sukhumi. Precise statistics are not available, but locals claim unemployment reaches 80 percent in some parts of Abkhazia.
![A woman lays flowers at the grave of a relative killed in the 1992-1993 war. A square in central Sukhumi has been turned into a large cemetery.](https://gdb.rferl.org/13da5ba4-7ac7-4463-aa0b-eebb0e291ef2_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman lays flowers at the grave of a relative killed in the 1992-1993 war. A square in central Sukhumi has been turned into a large cemetery.
![Seventy percent of Abkhazia's economy depends on tourism from Russia. About 1 million Russians visit the Black Sea coast of Abkhazia each year.](https://gdb.rferl.org/39a3e20a-7ce0-44f5-98fc-ee1dcc4b2513_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Seventy percent of Abkhazia's economy depends on tourism from Russia. About 1 million Russians visit the Black Sea coast of Abkhazia each year.
![An Abkhazian man waits at a bus stop in central Sukhumi.](https://gdb.rferl.org/c4dc3a9b-2cd6-415f-b570-41c0ac4c8e6c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An Abkhazian man waits at a bus stop in central Sukhumi.
![Women wait to ride a horse-drawn cart across the Inguri River bridge, separating Abkhazia from the rest of Georgia. The 15-minute ride costs about 40 cents.](https://gdb.rferl.org/3c9bdb79-fc30-4102-96f8-787bd797c569_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women wait to ride a horse-drawn cart across the Inguri River bridge, separating Abkhazia from the rest of Georgia. The 15-minute ride costs about 40 cents.
![Those unable to afford the trip walk across the bridge. Abkhazia's frontier with Georgia is patrolled by some 3,500 Russian security forces.](https://gdb.rferl.org/bb20fea9-b5a4-41da-9fe0-0ff497e302ff_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Those unable to afford the trip walk across the bridge. Abkhazia's frontier with Georgia is patrolled by some 3,500 Russian security forces.
![A shop advertises Western fashions, which few locals can afford.](https://gdb.rferl.org/97497c61-fa09-404a-9e33-6be6227e3345_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A shop advertises Western fashions, which few locals can afford.
![An Apple dealership in Sukhumi](https://gdb.rferl.org/3b623c28-bb4f-4602-99ee-54356e64b46c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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An Apple dealership in Sukhumi
![Men play chess in front of one of Sukhumi's abandoned piers.](https://gdb.rferl.org/394724b6-beaa-4b2a-8d45-0090db6b6b41_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Men play chess in front of one of Sukhumi's abandoned piers.
![Security forces outside the large market in the southern town of Gali](https://gdb.rferl.org/3b965239-c5db-471e-946c-bb185f2a2e2e_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Security forces outside the large market in the southern town of Gali
![Marshrutkas, or shared taxis, are the preferred and sometimes the only available form of public transport in and out of Sukhumi.](https://gdb.rferl.org/7dd9a510-b1c1-4d90-8f24-1978e636d15a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Marshrutkas, or shared taxis, are the preferred and sometimes the only available form of public transport in and out of Sukhumi.
![Marshrutka drivers take a break. Drivers frequently hold strikes over work conditions and pay.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e3c82417-0627-454a-b477-0cb78333b880_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Marshrutka drivers take a break. Drivers frequently hold strikes over work conditions and pay.
![A woman sells Russian cigarettes in downtown Sukhumi. The Russian ruble is Abkhazia's de facto currency.](https://gdb.rferl.org/48cc2106-2441-4a12-9b27-e93a2b29e879_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman sells Russian cigarettes in downtown Sukhumi. The Russian ruble is Abkhazia's de facto currency.
![No trains service operates at Sukhumi's Central Railway Station.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a133848c-9b6c-40c0-9a11-c3ec068f441a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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No trains service operates at Sukhumi's Central Railway Station.
![Two girls walk a dog in front of the abandoned Soviet-era government building in downtown Sukhumi. The area was the site of fierce battles in the 1992-1993 conflict.](https://gdb.rferl.org/db40f379-f805-4665-ae15-6f2808bdc345_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Two girls walk a dog in front of the abandoned Soviet-era government building in downtown Sukhumi. The area was the site of fierce battles in the 1992-1993 conflict.