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Abstract:

The article presents an overview of the Abkhaz-Russian relations in the aspect of the military and cultural-economic policy of Russia in Abkhazia in the 19th — early 20th centuries. It is concluded that since the second half of the 18th century, Russian ethnic elements have been included in the Abkhaz people. It is noted that the relations between Abkhazia and Russia before the beginning of the 19th century were episodic, and the convergence of their interests has been occurring since the accession of Abkhazia to Russia. Trade and economic relations between Abkhazia and Russia are reflected in the numismatic material of the second half of the 18th and 19th centuries discovered on the territory of Abkhazia. In particular, travel essays by V.A. Sollogub were used to characterize the communication routes, economic status and some public institutions of the Abkhaz. Ethnocultural ties between the Abkhaz and Russian peoples are revealed in the field of material and spiritual culture, and anthroponymic system. More noticeable changes in the spiritual culture of the Abkhazians are associated with the creation, with the help of Russian scholars, of Abkhaz writing and an Abkhaz primer, the opening of the first centers for public education (including in rural areas), and the emergence of a layer of qualified teachers, educators, and cultural figures from the Abkhazians who received their education in Russian.