Georgia: Tensions in the Kodori Gorge

Georgia has put its troops on the border with the breakaway region of Abkhazia on combat alert because Russia is amassing special troops on the edge of the Kodori Gorge, a strategically important area in Abkhazia that is currently under Georgian control. Russia's troop movements are meant to keep pressure on Georgia, which is dragging out negotiations with its large northern neighbor. Even if the talks began moving quickly, two groups — the Abkhaz and the Svans — have motivations for trying to spoil an agreement between Moscow and Tbilisi.