Anaklia Anaklia ( ) is a town and seaside resort in western Georgia . It is located in the Samegrelo - Zemo Svaneti region , at the place where the Enguri River ( Inguri ) flows into the Black Sea , near the administrative border with Abkhazia . History . The earliest settlement on Anaklia ' s territory dates back to the mid - Bronze Age and is typical to the Colchian culture . It is the Classical " Heraclea " of Colchis , " Anaclia " of later authors , and " Anarghia " of Archangelo Lamberti and Jean Chardin ( both the 17th - century travelers ) . After the fragmentation of the Kingdom of Georgia in the 15th century , it was an important fortified town , sea port and fishing station within the Principality of Mingrelia . In 1723 , the town was captured by the Ottoman Empire and converted into its maritime outpost and slave - trading locale . Western Georgian kingdom of Imereti regained control over Anaklia in 1770 , seizing the opportunity of Ottoman empire being at war with Russia ( Russo - Turkish War ( 1768 – 1774 ) ) . Solomon I , the king of Imereti , was supposed to be supported in this endeavor by a small Russian contingent under General Totleben , but the Russian troops retreated before a clash against the Turks . In 1802 , Kelesh - Bey Sharvashidze , the pro - Turkish ruler of the neighboring Principality of Abkhazia , capitalized on the internecine feuds in Mingrelia , and forced Prince Grigol Dadiani of Mingrelia into surrendering Anaklia , taking Grigol ’ s son and heir , Levan , as a hostage . When Mingrelia accepted the Russian protectorate in 1803 , the Russian commander in Georgia , Prince Tsitsianov , demanded that Kelesh - Bey release Levan . On his refusal , Tsitsianov sent Major General Ion Rykgof into Abkhazia . In March 1805 , the Russians took hold of Anaklia and threatened to march against Sukhum - Kaleh , forcing the Abkhazian prince to release Dadiani . The capture of Anaklia drew an Ottoman protest , however , and Tsitsianov hastened to disavow his subordinate and even apologize for his action , removing a Russian garrison from Anaklia . However , the incident added to an increasing tension between the two empires . When the next Russo - Turkish War broke out in 1806 , the Russian forces restored Redoubt Kali and Anaklia to the Mingrelian prince Levan who would later relinquish the control of these forts to the Russian administration . In the 1850s , Anaklia was a small but strongly fortified seaport , which had a custom - house and carried on a considerable trade with Turkey . It had extensive suburbs , consisting of detached houses inhabited by Greeks , Jews , and Armenians . The population was around 600 . Subsequently , the importance of the Anaklia port significantly reduced , but it remained a minor Black Sea Fleet base in the Soviet times . After the War in Abkhazia ( 1992 – 93 ) , a Russia n peacekeeping post was opened at Anaklia in 1994 . In 2006 , the Ministry of Defense of Georgia reported numerous damages inflicted by the Russian soldiers upon the 17th - century fortress of Anaklia and accused the peacekeepers of installing latrines and baths within the walls of the fort . Following a series of protests by the Georgians , the Russian military post was withdrawn in July 2007 . A monument has been erected in Anaklia on May 21 , 2012 , commemorating Russia ' s expulsion of the Circassian people from the region following the conclusion of the Caucasian War in the 1860s . The May 21 date was chosen to coincide with the day on which the Circassian people themselves commemorate the expulsion , which the Georgian government has recognized as an act of genocide . The monument was designed by Khusen Kochesokov , a sculptor from the North Caucasus region of Kabardino - Balkaria .