The region of Abkhazia, in Georgia's northwest, has fought to assert its identity since the collapse of the Soviet Union. A bloody war in 1992-1993 claimed the lives of at least 35,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians. Following the short Georgian-Russian War in August 2008, Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia, but that status has been recognized only by its chief sponsor, Russia, and a handful of other UN member states -- Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru. Since the 2008 conflict, Russia has donated at least $150 million to help support Abkhazia, but that has done little to improve the daily lives of some 240,000 residents who must endure the fallout of the so-called frozen conflict. (Text and photos by Anthony Georgieff)
Abandoned Buildings And Idle Hands In Abkhazia
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In the Soviet era, the Sukhumi Pier hosted a restaurant and café, but it has stood abandoned on the Black Sea coast for the past 20 years.
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People take an evening stroll through the shell of the Sukhumi Pier.
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Once the playground of the Soviet elite and a destination for Soviet workers, Sukhumi is littered with bombed-out buildings that have remained derelict since the 1992-1993 conflict.
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Men relax in Sukhumi. Precise statistics are not available, but locals claim unemployment reaches 80 percent in some parts of Abkhazia.
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A woman lays flowers at the grave of a relative killed in the 1992-1993 war. A square in central Sukhumi has been turned into a large cemetery.
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Seventy percent of Abkhazia's economy depends on tourism from Russia. About 1 million Russians visit the Black Sea coast of Abkhazia each year.
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An Abkhazian man waits at a bus stop in central Sukhumi.
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Women wait to ride a horse-drawn cart across the Inguri River bridge, separating Abkhazia from the rest of Georgia. The 15-minute ride costs about 40 cents.
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Those unable to afford the trip walk across the bridge. Abkhazia's frontier with Georgia is patrolled by some 3,500 Russian security forces.
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A shop advertises Western fashions, which few locals can afford.
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An Apple dealership in Sukhumi
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Men play chess in front of one of Sukhumi's abandoned piers.
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Security forces outside the large market in the southern town of Gali
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Marshrutkas, or shared taxis, are the preferred and sometimes the only available form of public transport in and out of Sukhumi.
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Marshrutka drivers take a break. Drivers frequently hold strikes over work conditions and pay.
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A woman sells Russian cigarettes in downtown Sukhumi. The Russian ruble is Abkhazia's de facto currency.
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No trains service operates at Sukhumi's Central Railway Station.
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Two girls walk a dog in front of the abandoned Soviet-era government building in downtown Sukhumi. The area was the site of fierce battles in the 1992-1993 conflict.