Reuters reported on February 6, that its reporters had seen a military unit, complete with huge radars, army tents and flying the flag of the Russian air force, deploying near the town of Gudauta where Moscow plans to revive a Soviet-era air base.

Georgian Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, told journalists in Tbilisi on February 6, that Russia had deployed “about 27 warplanes at the Bombora military air field [close to Gudauta], which should be closed under the 1999 OSCE Istanbul summit decision.”

Garry Kupalba, the deputy defense minister of breakaway Abkhazia, told Reuters Sokhumi planned a military treaty with Russia that could be signed for a 25-year period and would also include the training of Abkhaz officers in Russia.

The Russian news agencies reported last week that Russia was planning to station up to 20 planes in Gudauta, including Su-27 Flanker fighter jets; Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft and military cargo planes.