It is de jure 920 km in length and runs from the Black Sea coast in the west and then along the Greater Caucasus Mountains to the tripoint with Azerbaijan in the east, thus closely following the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.

[6][7] However the western border of Abkhazia was set at the Begepsta river, with lands west of this attached to the Chermorskii okrug in modern Krasnodar Krai.

[9] In 1904 the western Abkhaz border was changed, with the area west and north of the Bzyb River removed and merged into Chernmorski okrug, apparently so as to include a new luxury holiday resort at Gagra built by Duke Alexander of Oldenburg within Russia.

[8] Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, the peoples of the southern Caucasus had seceded from Russia, declared the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR) in 1918 and started peace talks with the Ottomans.

[12] At the instigation of the Georgian politician Akaki Chkhenkeli, the 1904 boundary change of western Abkhazia was reversed in December 1917 and the old Begepsta river border restored.

[8] In early 1918 the APC met with Georgian leaders, and the two sides made an initial agreement that Abkhazia would constitute Sukhum okrug, including Samurzakano (despite its Mingrelian majority), and stretching along the Black Sea coast as far at the river Mzymta.

[16][24][25][26] Following Joseph Stalin's deportation of ethnic groups accused of collaboration with the Nazis, the Georgia–Russia border was altered in Georgia's favour in 1944, with Georgia gaining Klukhori from Karachay-Cherkessia in the west (comprising Karachayevsk, Teberda and Mount Elbrus) and Akhalkhevi from the Chechen-Ingush ASSR in the east (comprising Itum-Kale and surrounding lands).

[32] The only Georgia–Russia border crossing is at Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars on the Georgian Military Highway, connecting Kazbegi (Georgia) and Vladikavkaz (in the Russian republic North Ossetia-Alania).

[47] During the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) when fighting had begun, the 221 km Abkhazian section of the railway extending from Psou roadside stop (Abkhazia–Russia border) up to Ingur roadside stop (Abkhazia-Georgia border) had been closed for Armenia and Georgia since Aug 14 1992, after the railway bridge over the River of Ingur (dividing Georgia from Abkhazia) was detonated.

[58][59] In June of that year, the Russian Federation provided 200,000 tons of bitumen to assist road construction, the Sukhumi-Psou rehabilitation – at least 99 million roubles ($3.8million) was also financed by the Moscow government.

[60][61] Later in July, Russia delivered ammunition, automatic rifles, grenade launchers, bombs, and mines; that equipment was transported into Abkhazia by some thirty-five to forty military trucks that crossed the Psou River from the Russian side.

over a tract of land 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi)[64] in size near the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana that flared in the lead-up to the Sochi Olympics.

[70] On April 8–20, 2020, then acting President of Abkhazia Valeri Bganba had signed an order to close the entire state border with Russia along the Psou River, presumably because of COVID-19 pandemic.

[71] During the XXVII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 5–8, 2024, both sides stated that they would work together in order to "simplify" border controls.