DISINFO: Presidential elections in Abkhazia were democratic, as confirmed by observers

Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative attempting to portray Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent and democratic regions. In fact, the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are occupied by Russia. Russia has maintained troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since the 2008 war. Many international organisations condemned the Russian occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, see e.g. the CSCE statement and the European Parliament's declaration. The Parlamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe issued a statement that the so-called ''presidential elections'' in the Georgian region of Abkhazia on 25 August 2019 were neither legal nor legitimate. The government in Tbilisi described them as "another illegal action". Individual observers from Germany and Austria decided themselves to arrive in Abkhazia and make public comments on the presidential elections there. Thus, their assessment of the ''elections'', as quoted by Sputnik, are their personal opinions, which do not reflect the official position of the German or Austrian governments. The German Embassy in Tbilisi stated that Germany supports the territorial integrity of Georgia. Only a handful of countries have recognised the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which make up around 20 percent of Georgian territory, and Moscow’s backing of the regions has drawn broad international condemnation.