Russia has almost completed a naval facility for its Black Sea Fleet in the occupied Georgian city of Ochamchira.
As the CFTS portal reported, citing the publication NV, the Georgian television channel Pirveli published video footage of the facility on 20 March.
The video footage, taken by a drone, shows the intense movement of construction equipment. It was reported that work at the site is ongoing. The base is expected to be operational in 2024.
The city of Ochamchira is located in Abkhazia, which Russia occupied in 2008. On 26 January 2009, the General Staff of the Russian Navy announced the establishment of a naval facility for the Black Sea Fleet in the port of Ochamchira, which is located on occupied Georgian territory.
In an interview with the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper earlier this year, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Vice-Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, said: "This is not really a naval base, but a naval station, most likely for the dispersion of ships, because you cannot keep the whole fleet in one base. Besides, Novorossiysk is not a very pleasant port for a base because of the weather conditions, especially in winter."
Asked if this facility would be a legitimate target for Ukraine, Neizhpapa said: "For us, a legitimate target is any ship flying the Saint Andrew's flag of the Russian Navy, wherever it is in the world's oceans."
