ÓÀØÀÒÈÅÄËÏÓ ÓÔÒÀÔÄÂÉÉÓÀ ÃÀ ÓÀÄÒÈÀÛÏÒÉÓÏ ÖÒÈÉÄÒÈÏÁÀÈÀ ÊÅËÄÅÉÓ ×ÏÍÃÉ GEORGIAN FOUNDATION FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES EXPERT OPINION MAMUKA KOMAKHIA BEHIND THE SCENES: KREMLIN’S POLICIES TOWARDS GEORGIAN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES 43 2015 The publication is made possible with the support of the US Embassy in Georgia. Editor: Jeffrey Morski Technical Editor: Artem Melik-Nubarov All rights reserved and belong to Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, including electronic and mechanical, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2015 Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies ISSN 1512-4835 ISBN 978-9941-0-7962-7 Introduction Following the Russia-Georgia war of 2008 and Russia’s recognition of the Abkhazian and “South Ossetian” regimes as sovereign states, the Kremlin intensified its policies towards the two breakaway regions. The Kremlin’s growing interest in these regions has been manifested in the activities of the various departments in the executive branch of the Russian govern- ment focused on the development of relations with Abkhazia and “South Ossetia” and the integration of these regions into the Russian Federation. After the Russia-Georgia conflict, Russian state agencies have had limited coverage in Georgia. Besides security services and ministries, two govern- mental agencies representing the executive branch of the Russian govern- ment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Administration, are especially active in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and “South Os- setia”. This article, on the basis of open source monitoring and analysis, will at- tempt to identify the state agencies and public officials behind the de- velopment and implementation of the Kremlin’s policies towards Georgia and especially in terms of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and “South Ossetia”. Federal Agency for the CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation One of the objectives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Fed- eration is the conducting of information warfare against Georgia on the international arena and the employment of “soft power” to impact Geor- gian political life. In this regard, the Russian Center for International Sci- entific and Cultural Cooperation (RCISCC), operating under the Ministry, has been its primary foreign policy instrument since the 1990s. The Center provided funding for various cultural and humanitarian events in Georgia in 1994-2008. On September 6, 2008, as per the Russian presidential decree, a brief pe- riod after the conclusion of the Russia-Georgia war, the RCISCC was re- placed by the Federal Agency for the CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo)1 under the auspices of the Ministry. The principal objectives for the establishment of 3 the Agency are the improvement of Russia’s foreign image following the war with Georgia and the enhancement of Russia’s influence in the near and far abroad. The Agency operates in three key areas: humanitarian cooperation, public diplomacy and support for international development. Due to the relations between Georgia and Russia, the Agency’s activities in Georgia are limited; although, by means of its structural units, it funds various initiatives in Abkhazia and “South Ossetia” which are territories beyond the control of the central government of Georgia. The Department of the Russian Cen- ter of Science and Culture (RCSC) and Multilateral Cooperation within the CIS, headed by Sergey Medvedev, is tasked with maintaining relations with Abkhazia and “South Ossetia” while the development of relations with the breakaway regions has been the direct responsibility of the Division on the CIS, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, headed by Lydia Diachenko. On its initiative, on December 18, 2009, a representative office of the Agency was opened in Sokhumi2 and on September 6, 2010 – in Tskhinvali.3 The offices are headed by Russian Embassy staff and their key priorities are as follows: development of bilateral cultural, educational, scientific and technical as well as information links; cultural and educational activities involving Russian compatriots and the development of ties between international, regional and local organizations. The first Head of the Agency, Farit Mukhametshin, was replaced, as of March 5, 2012, by a prominent representative of the Russian political elite, Konstantin Kosachev, who frequently makes anti-Georgian statements and is an avid supporter of the Abkhazian and “South Ossetian” regimes. A member of the Federation Council, Lyubov Glebova, has been appointed as the Head of the Agency as of March 23, 2015. She replaced Kosachev who, in December 2014, became a member of the Federation Council and the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Prior to her ap- pointment, Glebova’s contact with the Abkhazian and “South Ossetian” regimes was minimal. Previously, Glebova, while serving as Head of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor), had insignificant contact with Abkhazia when thede facto Minister of Edu- cation, writer Daur Natchkebia, was awarded an Honorary Silver Order of the Russian Fund for “Public Recognition.” One of the signatures on the document certifying the award belonged to Glebova.4 4 Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with For- eign Countries Several structural units under the Presidential Administration of Russia are tasked with working on Georgia-related issues. Among them is the Direc- torate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Coun- tries, founded in March 2005. The key functions of the Directorate are the following: project design and implementation in the field of interregional and cultural ties with foreign countries and provision of information and analytical support to the President and the Head of the Presidential Ex- ecutive Office on issues of interregional and cultural relations with foreign countries.5 Against the background of the Rose and Orange Revolutions and owing to its targeted activities against the Georgian and Ukrainian governments, the Directorate has also been referred to as a “Counterrevolutionary Di- rectorate.” Following the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, the Directorate’s role with respect to Georgia has weakened. The breakaway regions of Abkha- zia and “South Ossetia”, where until 2013 the entity has played a key role, have become a priority area in the Directorate’s activities. Modest Kolerov The first Head of the Directorate, Modest Kolerov, led the development and implementation of the Kremlin’s policies against the “colored revolutions” in the post-Soviet space. During Kolerov’s tenure at the Kremlin, a number of organizations and information resources were established which were to help achieve the objectives of the Directorate. Among them, notewor- thy is the Regnum news agency (regnum.ru) with Kolerov still serving as its Chief Editor. The agency is well-known for its pro-government position and propagation of misinformation against Georgia. In order to achieve his objectives, Kolerov also employed the Caucasus Institute for Democracy and the Eurasian Studies Center, which presently continue to carry out Kremlin-funded projects. A special role is attributed to the Europe Pub- lishing House6 which was founded in 2005 under Kolerov’s guidance and publishes books of an anti-Western and anti-Georgian content. Sergey Vinokurov Despite the efforts of Modest Kolerov, his work was considered unsatis- factory and he was obliged to leave the Kremlin in 2007. As of that year, Kolerov was replaced by Sergey Vinokurov who, according to widely ac- 5 cepted belief, yielded to the Kremlin’s unsuccessful policy towards the unrecognized regions of “South Ossetia” and Transnistria in 2012. The Kremlin-favored candidates failed to win the illegitimate presidential elec- tions conducted in these regions. The Kremlin’s candidate of choice was “South Ossetia’s”de facto Minister of Emergency Situations, Anatoliy Bibi- lov, although the former de facto Minister of Education, Alla Dzhioyeva, won the election instead. In the spring of 2012, a repeat election was held in “South Ossetia” where a new Kremlin-backed candidate, Leonid Tibilov, gained the majority of the votes. In Transnistria, as per Vinokurov’s rec- ommendation, Moscow supported the Parliamentary Speaker, Anatoliy Kaminski, who lost the 2011 de facto presidential elections to the oppo- sitionist, Yevgeny Shevchuk. Shevchuk received no support from Moscow and, furthermore, was criticized. The accountability for failure in both illegitimate elections was imposed on Vinokurov since his Directorate was in charge of the election campaigns. The disgraced official was then ap- pointed as Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.7 Vladimir Chernov Vladimir Chernov was appointed Head of the Directorate on April 28, 2012. Until January 17, 2012, Chernov headed the Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov’s Secretariat. Following his appointment as the Head of the Directorate, Chernov conducts periodic meetings with the de facto lead- ers of Abkhazia and “South Ossetia” to discuss bilateral relations.8 He also frequently congratulates them on holidays, including on anniversaries of the “victory against Georgia.”9 With Chernov’s appointment, his Deputy, Vladislav Gasumyanov, resigned from his position. In July 2012, Gasumya- nov’s post was occupied by