Friday, December 5, 2025

brown marmorated stink bug

Brown marmorated stink bug is now permanent in Abkhazia

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TBILISI, October 7 – A pest that first appeared in Abkhazia about eight years ago has now become a permanent local species, Abkhaz authorities say, but its threat to harvests has faded, officials add. Vladimir Geria, head of the Plant Protection Service at Abkhazia’s de facto Ministry of Agriculture, told Apsnipress that the insect known … Read more

Russian official repeats allegation that Lugar lab is used for biowarfare

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Russia has once again accused a medical research facility in the republic of Georgia of launching weaponized bugs into territory under its control. “This is a matter of national security,” said deputy chief of Russia’s Security Council, Rashid Nurgaliev, during a public appearance in Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, a disputed territory currently under Russia’s control … Read more

Gali residents take up cigarette smuggling after failed harvest

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The spread of the deadly brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has caused such devastation of orchards that locals have been forced to return to illegal businesses, such as smuggling of goods, particularly cigarettes, from breakaway Abkhazia to Georgia proper. This illegal trade was rife a decade and half ago but had been almost entirely … Read more

Russia bans fruit and vegetables from Abkhazia, which in turn blocks same products from Georgia

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Breakaway vice premier Aslan Kobakhia finds it strange that Russia has imposed a blockade only on Abkhazia, not Georgia. (aiaaira.com.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–From April 2, Moscow will prohibit the import of fruit, vegetables and herbs from breakaway Abkhazia, which heavily relies on selling agricultural commodities to Russia. Sokhumi responded by imposing an embargo

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Georgians in Abkhazia cancel harvest, claim pesticide withheld by regime

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Gali, Abkhazia
(Photo by Dominik K. Cagara.)

GALI, DFWatch–Georgian hazelnut farmer in Abkhazia canceled this year’s harvest after de facto authorities failed to hand out vital pesticide to battle a bug.

The bug has already ravaged farms in Western Georgia but the damage is even worse in the breakaway region

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