A trade post ofGenoa was located in Cavo de Buxo near modern Gudauta in the 13-15th centuries.Boxwood andhemp were exported to Europe via Cavo de Buxo.[3]
Bombora airfield outside Gudauta later became home to aSoviet Airborne Forces unit, the345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, later redesignated the 50th military base after the Soviet collapse, and then the 10th Independent Peacekeeping Airborne Regiment. The unit was subordinated directly to the Russian General Staff (earlier it used to be under the HQ of the Russian Airborne Forces).
In 1999, its equipment included 142 AIFV/APC (among them - 62 BMD-1 and 11 BMD-2); and 11 self-propelled artillery systems 2S9 "Nona-S".[6]
The base has always been a significant factor in the Abkhaz conflict. The Georgian side and many Western independent observers claim the Gudauta base provided principal military support to Abkhaz rebels during the war in 1992–1993.[citation needed] In September 1995, Georgia had to legitimizeRussian leases of three bases in the country, among them the Gudauta base.
At a summit of theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), inIstanbul in 1999, Russia agreed to shut down its base at Gudauta and to withdraw troops and equipment, pledging that henceforth it would be for the sole use of theCIS peacekeepers ("rehabilitation centre for peacekeeping troops"). However, Abkhaz authorities block OSCE inspection visits and no date is set for withdrawal from the base. Georgia still alleges that it is used to offer military support to the Abkhaz secessionists.
After theRusso-Georgian War in 2008, Russia recognized Abkhazia and signed with its government the treaty allowingRussia to keep its military base in Gudauta[7]. The base is protected byS-300 air defense systems.[8]
^abThe political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence fromGeorgia in 1992, Abkhaziais formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it asde jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it asRussian-occupied territory.
^Чирикба, В. А. (2020).Абхазия и итальянские города-государства (XIII–XV вв.). Очерки взаимоотношений [Abkhazia and Italian City-States (13th–15th centuries). Essays on Mutual Relations] (in Russian). Алетейя. pp. 27–28.ISBN978-5-00165-119-2.
