Putin’s new border envoy signals renewed Russian focus on Georgia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Nikolai Udovichenko as his Special Representative for the delimitation and demarcation of state borders with CIS countries, including the breakaway “Republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”

At first glance, the Kremlin’s decree may appear to be a technical administrative decision. Yet analysts argue that its implications extend far beyond cartography and border markers.

By tasking Udovichenko with managing “border delimitation” with the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia territories internationally recognized as part of Georgia, Moscow is seen as reinforcing its political and institutional hold on the occupied regions.

The decision effectively integrates the occupied territories deeper into Russia’s bureaucratic and diplomatic machinery, blurring lines between administrative oversight and political control.

The timing of the appointment has drawn particular attention. As Azerbaijan and Armenia move closer to finalizing a peace deal, Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus has visibly weakened.

Following the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh in April 2024 and Baku’s restoration of full control over the region, Moscow’s traditional leverage in the Armenia-Azerbaijan process has diminished.

Against this backdrop, Georgia’s breakaway territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia stand out as some of the few remaining instruments of Russian influence in the region, alongside limited strategic footholds in Armenia.

Many regional experts interpret Putin’s latest move as part of a broader effort to reassert relevance in a landscape where Moscow’s dominance is increasingly challenged.

For Georgia, the decree carries both symbolic and strategic significance. It underscores Russia’s continued intent to consolidate control over the occupied territories and to remind Tbilisi of the unresolved nature of the 2008 conflict.

While the Kremlin frames the decision as a matter of routine diplomacy, in Georgia it is widely perceived as a political signal one cautioning against deeper integration with Western partners such as the European Union and NATO.

As the South Caucasus enters a transformative phase, the balance of power appears to be shifting. And with Russia seeking to maintain a foothold, Georgia once again finds itself at the center of a larger geopolitical contest.

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