Bryansk Family Circumvents Abkhazia Property Ban

The author of the blog «Travels with Meaning» told the unusual story of Russians who managed not only to buy a house in Abkhazia but also to register it in their name. Many dream of living in the Land of the Soul, but face a serious obstacle: by law, foreigners cannot buy residential real estate or land plots here, which often leads to fraud. People are offered to register purchases on «friends» — locals who then, without a twinge of conscience, being de jure owners, take the properties for themselves. The family of our heroes also encountered such deception but was able to overcome everything. What follows is a first-person account.

Beginning: Dream and Risk

— Five years ago I left Gudauta with a heavy heart. I had just recorded the story of a family from Bryansk who put everything on the line for the dream of a seaside hotel and faced betrayal. Their Abkhazian «partner» presented them with a bill for their own hotel. At that time, they were on the brink of an abyss.

It all started in 2007 with an ordinary vacation trip. Elena and Nikolai (mother and son) drove from Bryansk to Gudauta and fell in love. They decided to build a hotel.

The idea, which first flashed as a joke, became a plan. They found a plot. And they found a person — a local «friend.» Since Abkhazian law prohibits foreigners from owning land, the plot had to be registered in his name. «Everyone does it,» they reassured themselves, sealing the deal.

Construction began in 2011. And it immediately became clear: the budget was insufficient. They had to sell everything they had in Bryansk: their apartment, cars. They turned their past life into startup capital and risked absolutely everything.

Their local acquaintance helped with the construction, and for this help, they paid him money monthly. In July 2014, they welcomed their first guests.

Trap and Legal Way Out

When the issue of re-registering the hotel to the Russians arose, their «partner» set a condition. «He demanded that the hotel be bought out. The amount was very high.» This was the very trap that skeptics had warned about.

They had to go into debt again to settle the account.

«We wanted it to be simpler, but it turned out worse,» Elena says with a bitter smile.

But it was this crisis that led them to a decision. To conduct the deal cleanly, lawyers suggested: «The building received hotel status. And that is already commercial real estate.»

According to Abkhazian laws, a foreigner cannot own a residential house. But they can own commercial real estate!

That very deal, which seemed like humiliation, became their main victory. Now their hotel — one of the best in Abkhazia — was legally registered in their names, Elena and Nikolai.

New Life and Recognition

Now the family lives in Abkhazia. They bought a generator so that power outages wouldn«t torment them. They installed heating in the house. The hotel started operating not only in summer but also in winter.

Nikolai got married, and he and his wife had three children. They now attend the local school, kindergarten, and clubs. For them, Gudauta is home.

And then something happened that goes beyond all templates. Nikolai, a guy from Bryansk, started playing for the Abkhazian national basketball team. In the small republic where everyone knows each other, national team players are respected people. Nikolai ceased to be a Russian in Abkhazia who runs his hotel. He became «our Kolya, who plays for Abkhazia.»

Such popular support is more reliable than any official one. When you shed sweat for the flag, you stop being a guest. You become a son of the country. A true citizen that the Republic of Abkhazia is proud of.

Today they regret nothing. And they succeeded — summarized the author.