"Russian railroad troops have almost completed work to restore the rail line from Sukhumi to Ochamchira," which will be put into operation at the end of July, ministry spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky said.
Around 300 Russian railroad troops arrived in the self-proclaimed republic on May 31 as part of a Moscow humanitarian assistance initiative for Abkhazia. The deployment sparked a furious reaction from Georgia, which accused Moscow of preparing for military intervention in the Georgia-Abkhaz conflict.
During the operation, the Russian troops replaced around 10,000 railroad ties and crossing ties at sidings. The repair work had originally been scheduled to end on August 6.
In April, Russia's then president Vladimir Putin called for closer links with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, another breakaway region in Georgia, provoking fury from Tbilisi, which accused Moscow of trying to annex the regions.
Relations between Russia and Georgia have deteriorated in recent years over Moscow's support for the rebel provinces, and Tbilisi's drive for NATO membership.
