Humanitarian aid is one of Georgia's last remaining tools to woo its prodigal Abkhazian citizens. So Tbilisi built a hospital near the breakaway region.
The news of Giorgi Lukava's release took many in Abkhazia by surprise, and some criticized the idea that it was an “act of goodwill,” as the authorities in Sukhumi framed it.
The Union of Elders, an influential civil body in Pankisi issued a January 2 statement on the operation, saying the shooting should be investigated “in a timely and objective manner.”