Russia has suspended the issuance of internal passports in Abkhazia.
The offices issuing internal Russian passports in Abkhazia, which opened in January, will suspend operations after the republic's political figures questioned their legality, the Russian Embassy in Abkhazia stated. SFU lecturer Irakli Bzhinava, who expressed similar doubts, was detained in Rostov-on-Don.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on July 17, 2025, Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the issuance of internal Russian passports in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Most residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia acquired Russian passports before 2008. According to estimates from the Warsaw Institute, an analytical and research center, by 2008, up to 85% of the population of Abkhazia and over 90% of the population of South Ossetia held Russian passports.
The Russian Embassy in Abkhazia is suspending the issuance of internal passports in the republic due to statements from local parliamentarians questioning the legality of Russian document issuance offices. A statement to this effect was published today on the diplomatic mission's website.
The embassy noted that the issuance of Russian passports to Abkhaz citizens who also hold Russian citizenship is being carried out on the basis of the agreement on the settlement of dual citizenship issues, which entered into force in April 2025. Internal Russian passport issuance offices in Abkhazia began operating in January 2026, "in agreement with the country's authorities" and "with the aim of creating the most comfortable conditions for citizens."
"However, since Abkhaz political figures, including members of the People's Assembly, are questioning the legality of the aforementioned offices, the Russian side, which respects the sovereignty of the independent Republic of Abkhazia, will be forced to suspend their operations," the publication states. The embassy added that the issuance of internal Russian passports to Abkhaz citizens "will be transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation."
The legality of issuing internal Russian passports in Abkhazia was challenged by parliament member Kan Kvarchia, who was previously placed on the wanted list in Russia and stripped of his Russian citizenship, according to the Telegram channel "On Duty for the CIS."
An Abkhaz lawyer was detained in Rostov-on-Don after criticizing the issuance of passports
The suspension of the issuance of internal Russian passports was prompted, in particular, by a statement by Irakli Bzhinava, the head of the Abkhaz diaspora in Rostov-on-Don and associate professor of the Department of Constitutionalism at the Faculty of Law at SFedU. He had previously called the issuance of internal Russian passports in Abkhazia with the "oath of allegiance to the Russian Federation by citizens of an independent state" "categorically unacceptable," the Sapa Tskhinval Telegram channel reports.
According to Abkhaz media, Bzhinava was detained in Rostov-on-Don by Russian security forces on February 5. He had published a post on Facebook* regarding the inadmissibility of issuing Russian passports in the republic the day before, on February 4.
“According to preliminary information, he is charged with publications in support of Abkhazia, popular initiatives, and civil activists,” the AIASHARA news agency reported, citing its own sources.
According to the agency, a court in Rostov-on-Don is scheduled to choose a preventive measure for Bzhinava today; the specific charges against him have not been specified. As of 6:30 PM Moscow time today, Bzhinava is still listed as a faculty member in the Department of Constitutionalism at the Southern Federal University website.
The Abkhaz opposition has responded to Bzhinava’s detention. The public association “Aidgylara” views it as “a link in a chain of attempts to persecute true patriots of their country and impose an alien ideology.” The “Apsuaa Rymch” movement, in turn, called this event part of the “alarming practice of pressure and persecution of Abkhaz citizens who consistently defend the interests of the Abkhaz people and the principles of equal allied relations,” calling on the president of the republic “to immediately make an official public statement” and demand that the Russian Federation clarify the legal grounds for Bzhinava’s detention.
Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be Russian-occupied territories after Russia intervened in the armed conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia on August 8, 2008, and then recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, according to a "Caucasian Knot" report on the "Five-Day War" of 2008, which also contains details of the armed conflict.