Russian-controlled authorities in Georgia’s occupied region of Abkhazia twice declared a drone-related security alert on July 7, Russian media reported, citing the press office of the region’s de facto defence ministry. Abkhaz local outlets, however, had not reported the alerts at the time.

According to Interfax, the first warning was announced at 07:00 local time and cancelled roughly two hours later. The alert was later reintroduced. The Russian agency quoted the de facto ministry as saying that air defence units and military duty teams were continuing to monitor the airspace.

Sputnik, also referring to the same de facto defence source, reported that residents were advised to avoid open spaces, alert others to the potential danger, stay out of drones’ direct line of sight, and refrain from trying to shoot them down or interfere with them independently.

By the evening, the de facto defence authorities issued an additional public notice focused on information security amid what they described as the current operational environment. Residents were warned not to publish images or videos showing air defence assets, drone routes, or the consequences of possible drone incidents on social media, messaging platforms, or Telegram channels.

The notice said the distribution of such material was strictly banned, arguing that it could provide useful intelligence to the “enemy,” including the location of air defence systems and other sensitive sites, the impact of attacks, and information useful for planning future operations.

Reports of drone activity in occupied Abkhazia are not new. In March, drones were also detected during what was described as a large-scale raid, following several weeks of unverified media reports about unidentified drone sightings in the region.