"The decree of the President of the Republic of Abkhazia Raul Khajimba introduced a temporary regime of visa-free entry for foreign citizens from June 15 to August 1, 2018, in connection with the World Cup in the Russian Federation ... This decree does not apply to citizens of Georgia," the statement read.

From June 14 to July 15, Russia will be hosting the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history. Matches will be played in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Volgograd, and Samara. The tournament kicked off earlier in the day with the Russia-Saudi Arabia match.

The breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. Russia formally recognized their independence after the 2008 military offensive conducted by Georgia against South Ossetia. Following the move, Georgia cut diplomatic relations with Russia.