Tkvarcheli

 city, ruins, abandoned settlement

Tkvarcheli is a coal mining town in Abkhazia, another disputed territory within the south-western flank of the Caucusas. Tkvarcheli became a town in 1942 and was temporarily lost to the Germans during World War Two. Following the end of Soviet rule, Georgia claimed Abkhazia, which is recognised as an independent territory by Russia, fueling tensions in the region. Georgia besieged Tkvarcheli during the War in Abkhazia (1992-3), although the town witheld through Russian aid. When Soviet mines closed, bkhaz-Turkish company Tamsaş took over the coal fields – considered illegal by Georgia and leading to the seizure of company vessels. Tensions led to a sharp population decline. While a few people remain in Tkvarcheli, the settlement is little more than a ghost town.