Land ownership is a sensitive issue in Abkhazia. The deal also sparked controversy in Georgia proper, where critics accused the government of closing its eyes to Russian expansion.
While the country’s public defender says the group’s activities violate the constitution, others argue that banning it could set a dangerous precedent.
An attack by ruling party lawmakers on a critical TV executive has been criticized for undermining international calls for stability and for perpetuating a local culture of macho violence.
Georgians and Russians have not had such close contact, and on such a scale, since the breakup of Soviet Union. Now they are figuring each other out again.