Abkhazia fantasia
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Damaged apartment building on the outskirts of Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Some are still occupied. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Babushka Tanya's run down apartment. Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
The damaged "People's Assembly Building" stands like a war memorial in central Sukhumi. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Kids playing outside an apartment building. Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
A girl steps over a puddle surrounded by damaged buildings. Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Damaged buildings. Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Although the status of Abkhazia is disputed, and the country is isolated and still bears the scars of war, both locals and Russian tourists are drawn to the warm waters of the Black Sea. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
The 1993 war with Georgia left over 10,000 people dead, and hundreds of non-Abkhaz were forced to flee. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Babushka Tanya's run down apartment in Sukhumi. Her building was on the front line between Abkhaz and Georgian forces during the 1993 war. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
A woman carries her goods across the bridge over the Inguri river which separates Abkhazia from Georgia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
A Russian tourist, wearing a "USSR" track suit, photographs his friend dressed in traditional Abkhaz costume. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
A boy jumps from an abandoned ship. Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
A Russian tourist in the Soviet-era "Pensionat Energetik" in the coastal resort of Gagra. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Evening over the Black Sea. Sukhumi, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum -
Twilight over the Black Sea, Abkhazia. Jonas Bendiksen / Magnum
Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia. This status is recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu and also by the partially recognised states of South Ossetia, Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Georgian government and the majority of the world's governments consider Abkhazia still a part of Georgia's territory. Under Georgia's official designation it is an autonomous republic, called the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, whose government sits in exile in Tbilisi. The 1993 War in Abkhazia resulted in a Georgian military defeat, de facto independence of Abkhazia and the mass exodus and ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population from Abkhazia. In spite of the 1994 ceasefire agreement and years of negotiations, the status dispute has not been resolved. (All images Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum)
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