Friday, December 5, 2025

Gali

20 students may fail exams due to Abakhazia's flu quarantine

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Due to the closure of the Enguri checkpoint, students from breakaway Abkhazia’s Gali district are unable pass their exams, which may result in their expulsion from the university. The problems come on the heel of a quarantine declared in early January by Georgia’s two breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia in order to prevent … Read more

Abkhazia considers 20 day quarantine to stem flu epidemic, locals say real reason is shortage of medicines

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GALI, DFWatch–Sokhumi plans to announce a 20 day quarantine and close Enguri checkpoint,  the sole passage between Georgia proper and breakaway Abkhazia, locals familiar with the situation told DFWatch. Although breakaway officials claim no instances of H1N1 influenza virus have been reported so far in Abkhazia, DFWatch has witnessed at least dozens of instances of … Read more

Georgian government allows cigarette smuggling from Abkhazia, Gali residents say

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GALI, DFWatch–The Georgian government has unofficially given Gali residents a green light for smuggling cigarettes, likely as part of the election campaign, according to locals DFWatch spoke to. They have received explicit messages from Georgian law enforcers, they said. “Everybody knows each other here, almost all law enforcement knows who smuggle cigarettes. For the past … Read more

None of Georgia's political parties campaigned in Gali in first round of presidential election

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GALI, DFWatch–None of the political parties in Georgia’s presidential election campaigned in the conflict zone, according to locals DFWatch spoke to in Gali, the southern district of breakaway Abkhazia. This is unlike previous elections, when the ruling party had local campaign workers out among the population promising various benefits, a resident of the  village Tagiloni … Read more

Abkhazia halts issuing of residence permits because 'printer ran out of ink'

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GALI, DFWatch–Abkhazia has temporarily suspended the issuing of residence permits, an essential document needed by Gali residents in order to travel to Georgia proper. Breakaway authorities in Gali claim the reason is a technical problem with a printing machine, locals DFWatch spoke to explained. They were told that the printer had run out of ink. … Read more

Illegal trade on rise due to dire economic situation, Gali residents say

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GALI, DFWatch – The loss of sources of income related to the spread of deadly brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), which has devastated locals’ orchards, urges residents of Gali to return to illegal business of smuggling goods, particularly cigarettes, from the breakaway Abkhazia to Georgia proper.

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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

Georgian schools ordered to take part in Abkhazia's 'Victory Day'

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GALI, DFWatch–On September 30, the de facto government of Abkhazia celebrates Victory Day, commemorating victory in the 1992-93 war. Among the planned events will be a procession by the initiative group “Our Heros’ Way”, which is mainly made up of Abkhaz youth. However, Georgian schools operating in the Gali district have also been ordered to … Read more