The former Council of Ministers was gutted during fighting when the Abkhaz took the city in September 1993. Its fire-scorched shell has been an open wound at the centre of the city since then, something that a large awning installed in 2018 to mark 25 years of Victory does a good job of hiding. To see the unadorned building, simply approach it from behind, where it's also possible to get in and walk around.

