Welcomed Guest or Stranger Breaking-In? Patron-Client Relations in Abkhazia

De facto states can be seen as typical cases representing clients in asymmetric relations with their patrons. More often than not, de facto states themselves demand and dictate patronage when they feel isolated and insecure due to the hostile environment which denies their factual existence. What has remained less scrutinized is the fact that de facto states may also conform to patronage or occasionally defy it, especially when these relations threaten ontological security of the client state. Abkhazia’s relations with Russia have been based on the mutual understanding that the price Abkhazians are willing to pay for Russia’s military protection and economic assistance does not include the issue of land ownership. Abkhazians have clearly demarcated this as a red line, so that stepping over it is perceived as a threat to Abkhazia’s very existence. The voices of protest from various spheres of the Abkhazian society rose in tune with these perceptions when the President of Abkhazia signed an agreement in secret, to surrender the Pitsunda state dacha and 185 hectares of Abkhazian soil surrounding it to Russian control. Since it became a matter of public awareness on January 19, 2022, the agreement has neither been ratified, nor rejected and it continues to be a major topic for discussion in Abkhazia. This paper explores the instruments available in patron-client relations and argues that political elites in Abkhazia are navigating a thin line between Russian demands and threats to cut off economic support, and the ontological insecurity caused in the Abkhazian society by the grim prospects of losing control of premium Abkhazian soil. Keywords: De facto states, patron-client relations, ontological security, real estate debate, Abkhazia, Russia