UAV event in Psou area, Georgia on Wed 4th March 2026

On 4 March, reports began to appear across social media and among independent media outlets of drone sightings across Abkhazia. This included residents of the village Pakuash (Pakveshi), who reported that a drone had crashed into the village damaging an electrical transformer, leaving half the village without power.

Later that evening, the Telegram channel Abkhaz Portal wrote that the Psou checkpoint with Russia had been temporarily closed due to a drone attack. Thirty minutes later, the channel claimed the checkpoint was operating normally, citing the head of the border guard service, Rustam Latipov.

After hours of sightings and speculation, the authorities finally acknowledged the incident.

‘The Ministry of Defence Press Service reports that air defence and electronic warfare forces on duty are preventing violations of the republic’s airspace by unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs)’, they wrote in a statement. ‘We ask citizens to remain calm’.

The ministry urged the public to avoid approaching crash sites or fragments of drones, and to report any discoveries to the authorities immediately.

While the ministry did not specify where the drones had come from, for most there was little doubt they were Ukrainian — either flying towards targets across the border in Russia, or even targeting locations within Abkhazia itself.

Ukraine has previously stated openly that it considers Russian military sites in Abkhazia, such as the still-unfinished naval base in Ochamchire (Ochamchira), valid targets, while Abkhazia has supported Russia’s military efforts.

But the appearance of such a large number of drones in the skies of Abkhazia and the silence of the authorities on the issue sparked widespread public debate, with many criticising the government for not warning people of the danger in advance, or for failing to do more to counter the threat.