Abkhazia media guide

A memorial to the 1992-93 war: Major Russian TV channels are relayed into Abkhazia

The breakaway region of Abkhazia is fully outside Georgia's media environment.

The pro-Kremlin press is popular, Georgian-language press is not available and Georgian TV stations can be watched only via satellite.

Newspapers are available in the Abkhaz and Russian languages but most of the time they are devoid of criticism. Locals have access to Abkhaz, Russian and Turkish language radio stations.

In February 2024, the Abkhaz leadership sent to parliament a bill that would designate NGOs and individuals receiving money or other assets from abroad as foreign agents.

The move has been criticised by the opposition and NGOs, and the Abkhaz parliament has yet to discuss the law.

The Apsnymedia state-run media holding was founded in Abkhazia in 2021. It unites state-run Apsny and Respublika Abkhazia newspapers and the Apsnypress news agency.

There were 141,000 internet users by February 2024, comprising 58% of the population (Datareportal.com).

• Media guides by BBC Monitoring

Abkhazian media

• AGTRK TV - the territory's TV and radio broadcaster, carries news and other programming in Russian and Abkhaz, also relays Moscow-based TV stations

• Abaza TV - news and other programming in Russian and Abkhaz

• Abkhaz-inform - online news site

• Apsadgyl-Info - news agency

• Apsnypress - the official news agency

• Chegemskaya Pravda - formerly a weekly newspaper but now online

• Ekho Abkhazii - newspaper

• Nuzhnaya Gazeta - often critical of the local authorities

• Sputnik-Abkhazia - Abkhaz service of the Russian international-facing Sputnik news agency, carries pro-Kremlin news in Russian and Abkhaz

Other media

• Caucasian Knot - independent regional news website, in Russian and English

• Ekho Kavkaza - Russian-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), extensively covers both Abkhazia and South Ossetia

• Open Caucasus Media - English-language independent regional news website