Photographs of Georgian Families Living Inside an Abandoned Military Hospital.

Miguel is stateless, one of the 595 individuals without a nationality registered in Georgia, according to the UN refugee agency, which speaks of at least 10 million stateless people worldwide, with approximately one third being children. About 680,000 are in Europe, yet migration flows since 2015 have made also that number a pure estimate.

Abkhazia’s youth, both millennials and post-millennials, have grown up surrounded by the legacy of the 1992-1993 conflict with Tbilisi over independence -- shattered buildings, power cuts, food shortages, a trade embargo, isolation from the outside world.  But they also have experienced changes that, to many, suggested a more promising future. Yet beyond a few bohemian cafés and burger joints along the Sokhumi promenade, places for young Abkhaz to relax or party with friends are still hard to come by. Large, youth-focused events are rare, though Abkhazia does have its own rock bands. 

Elene, 63, is one of the only people in Shenako, a village perched at 2,080 meters, who stays year-round while 24-year-old Lasha only lives here during the summer months. As the fall approaches he migrates to Kvemo Alvani — a town situated at the base of the mountain—where he lives and works during the harsh winters. Many others in Tusheti split their lives migrating up and down the mountains depending on the season.