17:24, 9 January 2021

Social network users outraged at Abkhazia's refusal from help in fire extinguishing

Screenshot: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJzCvSVJeTO/

Because of Abkhazian authorities' refusal from the help offered by Georgia, the nature of the resort region has suffered significantly from the fire. The Abkhazia's emergency services lack sufficient resources to efficiently combat the large-scale forest fires, social network users assert.

Forest fires have been recorded in the Gal and Gagra Districts of Abkhazia since January 4; and by January 8, the fire approached residential buildings in Gagra. Today, due to a fire near Gagra, the "Psou 220" power substation went out of order, which left a significant part of the district without power supply.

On January 8, Georgian authorities offered help to Abkhazia in extinguishing forest fires. In his turn, Sergey Shamba, Secretary of the Security Council of Abkhazia, said that rescuers of the self-proclaimed republic are coping with fires on their own.

Social network users criticize Abkhaz authorities for rejecting Georgia's help in extinguishing fires.

"Here, they should use aircrafts, not one fire-extinguishing vehicle. Ask for help from neighbouring states; you'll fail to cope with it yourself and ruin such beauty," Inna Yurchenko wrote.

"With such primitive equipment you are helpless against the elements; you'll achieve nothing. They offer you help, accept it ... But you see, they are too proud," the user Andro K. Maisuradze has written.

"Why have they rejected Georgians' help? I think it was a sincere help; perhaps it could be the start of friendship between you; since one day this cold war should end," the user Tatiana Cherevataya believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 9, 2021 at 01:53 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.