Aslan Bzhaniya

25 Posts

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A crowd in Ochamchira protesting against the bill's passing in its first committee hearing on 19 July. Still from video, OC Media

Abkhazia

Abkhazian President ‘chastises’ officials for failing to contain protests

by OC Media

•1 min read

An anonymous opposition figure has claimed that Abkhazia’s President Aslan Bzhaniya reprimanded local officials for failing to contain recent protests against the aborted apartments law, and instructed them to provoke opposition figures. Sit Maan, an anonymous blogger who frequently posts reports about the government in Abkhazia on Pravda Abkhazia, a public Facebook group, claimed that Bzhaniya met with law enforcement officers and local officials on Friday evening. Bzhaniya reportedly repr

Abkhazia

Abkhazian Foreign Minister fired and ‘summoned for questioning’

by OC Media

•2 min read

Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhaniya has fired foreign minister Inal Ardzinba, with Ardzinba reported to have been summoned for questioning by the State Security Service. Bzhaniya issued a decree dismissing Ardzinba on Tuesday, stating that Deputy Foreign Minister Irakli Tuzhba would head the ministry in the interim. Bzhaniya’s website did not reveal the reasons behind Ardzinba’s sacking. Shortly after his dismissal, local Telegram channel Apsny Portal cited sources as saying that Ardzinba had

2024 Russian Presidential Elections

‘Competing to be most pro-Russian’: Abkhazia prepares for Russian presidential elections

by OC Media

•5 min read

Abkhazia’s government and opposition have for months been calling for Abkhazian citizens to vote in the upcoming Russian presidential elections. While both sides have openly praised Russia’s president, the mood amongst Abkhazia’s people is less clear-cut. From 15–17 March, many residents of Abkhazia will vote in the Russian presidential elections, which are expected to result in Vladimir Putin’s reelection for a fifth term. According to Russian media, more than half of Abkhazia’s population h

Abkhazia

Abkhazia to require parliamentary approval for ‘international treaties’

by OC Media

•2 min read

Abkhazia’s parliament has adopted a legal amendment that would require parliament to approve ‘international treaties’ prior to their signing by the president and government. The amendment is widely understood to be aimed at preventing agreements being signed with Russia without the approval of MPs. Under the amendments to the law ‘on international treaties’ unanimously adopted on Wednesday, any draft international treaties must be submitted to parliament 10 days before they are signed, and

Abkhazia

Abkhazia bans USAID and peacebuilding projects amidst new restrictions on foreign aid

by OC Media

•3 min read

Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry has introduced sweeping new restrictions on foreign aid, including banning USAID funding, funding of media, as well as projects aiming to establish contacts across the line of conflict. Thursday’s announcement was attributed in part to a US Agency for International Development (USAID) document reportedly describing Abkhazia as ‘the occupied territory of Georgia’ and declaring its aim to ‘restore Georgia’s territorial integrity’. The same text was also referred to

The Council of Ministers building. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Abkhazia

Abkhazia could turn Council of Ministers building into ‘luxury hotel’

by OC Media

•3 min read

Abkhazia’s President, Aslan Bzhaniya, has said that the iconic Council of Ministers building in the centre of Sukhumi (Sukhum), which has lain abandoned since the 1990s, could be turned into a luxury hotel. Speaking to students from Abkhazia in Moscow on 10 October, Bzhaniya stated that an investor had plans to reconstruct the building. His statement was aired on Abkhaz state television, following which an excerpt was widely shared on Abkhaz opposition Telegram channels. ‘Some investors ar

Abkhazia

Confusion in Abkhazia as foreign minister ‘resigns’ and returns

by OC Media

•3 min read

Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry has denied reports that Foreign Minister Inal Ardzinba submitted his resignation on Monday night, with the minister reportedly later telling colleagues that his announcement was a ‘joke’. On the following day, a number of senior officials were dismissed. Independent Abkhazian Telegram channel D News was the first to report Ardzinba’s resignation on the evening of 4 September, claiming he had told his team he was leaving his post and ‘returning to Russia’. The f