Analysts commented on the combination of the Sabantuy celebration in Abkhazia with mourning dates.

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In Abkhazia, at the beginning of July, Sabantuy was celebrated and "Days of Samara" were held. The events coincided with the memorial dates of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict of 1993. Analysts, as well as some residents of Abkhazia, consider such a combination of events inappropriate, but they doubted the presence of malicious intent.

In the first days of July, Abkhazia remembers the tragic events of 1993 - the fighting in Gumista and the landing of troops in the village of Tamish. However, this year the nature of the events changed from memorial to festive, which, as the Telegram channel "WINDOW" claims, caused a negative reaction from part of society.

On July 2, 1993, an Abkhaz naval landing of 300 people landed off the coast of the village of Tamish. Under the command of Zaur Zarandiya, they blocked the highway and prevented the transfer of Georgian troops from eastern Abkhazia to Sukhum. The paratroopers, together with the Eastern Front units, held back the advance of Georgian troops for a week. On July 3, Abkhaz troops began their offensive on Sukhum from Lower and Upper Gumista, on July 5 they liberated the villages of Kaman and Akhalsheni, on July 8 - the village of Guma, on July 9 - the village of Shroma, and then occupied the dominating height over Sukhum. These actions played a key role in the liberation of Sukhum on September 27, 1993.

On July 3, with the support of the President of Abkhazia, Badra Gumba, a series of festive events took place in Sukhum dedicated to the opening of the renovated section of the Dioscuri embankment, which was reconstructed with the support of the Republic of Tatarstan. The celebration of the Tatar and Bashkir national holiday Sabantuy took place right on the embankment.

In addition, on July 3-4, "Days of Samara" were celebrated in Sukhum, which included sports competitions, an exhibition of products from Samara manufacturers, and a concert of Samara creative groups.

The holding of festive events was criticized by some public figures in Abkhazia. "On these days, veterans and families of the deceased gather in Gumista and Tamish, in places of fierce battles, to simply honor the memory of their friends and loved ones.
We do not demand that the whole country follow our example. We ask for a little - just silence on these days," said, for example, the holder of the Order of Leon, Ilya Guniya, in an interview with the news agency "Aiaashara". "Even if they try very hard to erase these tragic days from the memory of our people, replacing them with various celebrations, they will not succeed," the publication itself stated. "Life goes on. We won this war, we liberated the country so that our youth could live. Thank God, friends are coming to us," veteran Adrug Basaria holds a different opinion.

Analysts found the combination of events inappropriate

On July 6, Abkhaz veterans and analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent commented on the holding of festive events on memorial days.

We are not obliged to align our calendar with the wishes of our guests, especially since it makes no difference to them

The festive events should have been postponed for some time, perhaps for a week, believes Abkhaz public figure, political scientist, and head of the public organization "Akhatsa" Akra Bzhania. "The first days of July in 1993 were dates of the greatest losses throughout the war, and this, of course, had to be taken into account. We are not obliged to align our calendar with the wishes of our guests, especially since it makes no difference to them," he emphasized.

Bzhania also noted "some kind of loyalist fanaticism in ensuring the safety of Russian officials."

Such "significant" events of this scale are being held in Abkhazia for the first time, which undoubtedly causes a sense of pride, believes the leader of the veteran movement "Aruaa" Temur Guliya.

It is regrettable to note that we have begun to forget those who forged our victory and made an invaluable contribution to the history of our state

"However, these celebrations would not have been possible without the sacrifices made precisely on the days of July 2, 3, and 4, 1993. During the July fighting for the liberation of our state from Georgian invaders, about 400 of our brothers and sisters died. The organizers of the events should have at least mentioned the fallen heroes, without whom our country would not exist as a sovereign state. Also, not a single representative of veteran organizations was invited to this KVN game. It feels like this event is only for officials and their supporters occupying the front rows. It is regrettable to note that we have begun to forget those who forged our victory and made an invaluable contribution to the history of our state. Historical memory is the foundation of the state, which has begun to crack," he noted.

Local residents "really did not like that such an "overlap" occurred," said a resident of Abkhazia, commenting on the situation on condition of anonymity. "I don't think it was intentional; maybe it has something to do with the schedules of officials. But from our side, there should have been adjustments, but apparently, there is a lack of subjectivity for that. We are here as recipients," he emphasized.

At the same time, the events themselves did not cause much interest among Abkhazians. "As far as I know, not many local residents attended these events; mostly, they were vacationers. I see that our people were not particularly impressed by the events; some are happy about the opening of part of the embankment, but there is a feeling of a catch," he stated.

Expert, who has studied Abkhazia for many years and also spoke on condition of anonymity, noted the irritation from many residents of Abkhazia, but linked it to the authorities' excessive enthusiasm for celebrations against the backdrop of a difficult situation in the republic. "People are irritated that a lot of money is spent on festivals while the tourism industry is in a severe crisis - due to the fuel crisis and problems with the operation of the airport in Sochi, there are mass cancellations of bookings. And if part of Abkhazia, which is closer to Russia with Gagra and Pitsunda, is somehow holding on, then in more remote places, including Sukhum, cancellations have become widespread. At the same time, those tourists who do come are mostly very economical people," he noted.

They did not pay attention to the date

In his opinion, when setting the date for the celebrations, they forgot that memorial events were taking place in Abkhazia. "Here, the main event was initially supposed to be the opening of the embankment in Sukhum, in the reconstruction of which Tatarstan and Bashkortostan invested. But we have creative managers in the leadership, so they proposed the idea of Sabantuy. Kiryenko liked it, and they started to implement it. But they did not pay attention to the date. On the other hand, there is some cunning on the part of the Abkhazians - the battles in these places lasted not one or two days, but until mid-July. So whatever day it is before mid-July, one could always stumble upon this accusation," the expert added.

Political scientist David Dasania stated that when it comes to the July days of 1993, any person in Abkhazia feels a catch in their breath. "These are not just dates in a textbook; this is a living, still bleeding wound. The July offensive claimed hundreds of lives of our guys, and that is why any other events on these days are perceived by society through the lens of that pain," he emphasized.

The memory of those who fell in July 1993 is our foundation, which cannot be moved for the sake of temporary decorations

Dasania noted that the appointment of the Sabantuy celebration on July 3 was not someone’s malicious intent. "Sabantuy today is not just a holiday marking the end of the harvest; it is a huge project that travels to different regions and countries all summer to show the friendship of peoples and attract tourists. Most likely, those who made the schedule in Abkhazia thought purely technically: it’s the height of summer, the sea, many people, a great reason for a beautiful picture. But they forgot that in the humanitarian sphere, a technical approach does not work. What is just 'free weekends in July' for an external organizer is days of mourning for us. Thus, it turned out that cheerful songs sounded where silence would have been more appropriate. Developing culture and fostering friendship among peoples is wonderful. But all this should be built around our foundation, not instead of it. And the memory of those who fell in July 1993 is our foundation, which cannot be moved for the sake of temporary decorations," the political scientist stated.

He also distanced himself from claims that the Abkhaz authorities have some secret plan to make the residents of the republic forget everything. "Erasing the memory of the July offensive is impossible - it is woven into the genetic code of every family. Here we see another problem - what sociology calls bureaucratic deafness. When people in offices get carried away with global tasks - developing tourism, international relations, beautiful reports - they become blind to the context of the place. No one intended to push the mourning agenda aside, and it is impossible to push it aside. But the attempt to combine it with noisy fun looks at least insensitive," Dasania noted.

For now, this causes irritation among locals, and quite strong, but it does not stop anyone

A resident of Abkhazia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believes that there is an active displacement of the memory of the 1992-1993 war. "This agenda is being replaced/substituted with the agenda related to the SVO. This includes exhibitions dedicated to the SVO in our museums and memorial events also dedicated to the SVO at memorials dedicated to the 1992-1993 war. This happened in Pitsunda. These are increasingly media events for show, while this causes irritation among locals, and quite strong, but it does not stop anyone," he noted.

He emphasized that memorial days in the republic have always been marked in a special way. "We did not schedule entertainment events; television showed a special program, memorial events took place. Of course, all these festive events on such days are inappropriate," he stated.

The visit of Kiryenko to the village of Tamish is not accidental

Experts also unanimously assessed the visit to the village of Tamish, where the landing took place, by the President of Abkhazia, Badra Gumba, and the First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Sergey Kiryenko, as an attempt to quell the wave of outrage. "This is a classic reaction to the very outrage that arose in society. Politics always tries to balance sharp edges. There was a legendary landing in Tamish; it is a symbol of incredible courage and a turning point in the war. Going there on the eve of the Sukhum concerts was an attempt by the authorities to take a step ahead. As if to show society and veterans: 'We remember everything, we pay tribute to the fallen heroes,'" Dasania noted.

It is likely that the decision on this was made not in Abkhazia

A resident of Abkhazia, who spoke anonymously, also noted that the visit to Tamish was not accidental. "I think that yes, such a route would not have arisen just like that. It is likely that the decision on this was made not in Abkhazia," he noted.

The visit of Gumba and Kiryenko was also assessed by an anonymous expert as an attempt to smooth over a possible scandal.

Experts disagreed on whether this story would provoke a split between the authorities of Abkhazia and veteran organizations. "Our veterans are not just a public organization; they are, if you will, the living conscience of the country. Especially those who did not accept undeserved awards, as pseudo-veterans did. They feel any injustice or falseness regarding the past most acutely. Therefore, their protest and outrage in this situation are not just possible; they are absolutely natural. They defend the meanings for which blood was shed. Will this wave go further? It all depends on whether we can recognize mistakes. If the authorities show sensitivity, understand why people were outraged, and in the future simply exclude such overlaps on memorial days, the tension will dissipate. But if such things become systemic, if interethnic holidays begin to repeatedly overlap our sacred dates, it will lead to a serious internal split. A people that has forgotten how to empathize with its own history in its most difficult moments loses its bearings. And veterans today are simply fulfilling their duty - reminding us of this," Dasania emphasized.

The authorities have their own veterans; one of them just said that life goes on

A resident of Abkhazia, who spoke anonymously, assessed the chances of a mass withdrawal of war veterans from supporting the authorities as not very high. "The authorities have their own veterans; one of them just said that life goes on," he stated.

An anonymous expert also believed that there would not be a significant split in Abkhazia. "They will soon forget about this, although it may be used in the opposition's confrontation with Gumba when the oppositionists make it clear that they, yes, fought, while those around Gumba are deserters," he emphasized.

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