Independent Abkhaz journalist Nizfa Arshba published agreements on cooperation between the interior ministries of Abkhazia and the Russian Federation on her Telegram channel, Aiaashara, sparking a political debate in Abkhazia’s public sphere.
The debate centres on signed cooperation plans that have drawn sharply opposing reactions: some accuse the authorities of surrendering sovereignty, while others argue that joint efforts to fight crime are necessary.
Accusations of incompetence and pressure
In her investigation, Nizfa Arshba draws on a 2024–2025 cooperation plan between the Russian and Abkhaz interior ministries that she obtained. She also refers to a similar document for 2026–2027, signed by Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and his Abkhaz counterpart, Robert Kiut.
The journalist strongly criticised the leadership of Abkhazia’s Interior Ministry, calling it incapable of doing its job. In her view, seeking help from another country’s ministry directly illustrates its inability to fulfil its own responsibilities.
“The agency entrusted to Robert Kiut employs several thousand people and has a wide range of technical equipment, yet it can do nothing. It cannot independently monitor and analyse the country’s crime situation. It cannot assess its own effectiveness. It cannot manage the situation in border regions on its own,” Arshba writes.
The provision that angered her most concerns the transfer to Russia of information about individuals capable of “destabilising the situation in a border region”. She directly links this mechanism to the recent stripping of Abkhaz heroes and opposition politicians Levan Mikaa and Kan Kvarchia of their Russian citizenship.
Arshba believes that Abkhazia’s Interior Ministry, under Robert Kiut, alerted the relevant Russian agencies to the two men, “documenting the shameful surrender of Abkhaz citizens” and helping the authorities eliminate their opponents through the actions of another country.
The story has attracted further attention because Nizfa Arshba herself exposed the ministry documents. Although she is an Abkhaz citizen and does not hold Russian citizenship, Russia’s Justice Ministry previously added her to its register of “foreign agents”.
Civil society reacts
The public movement Apsuaa Rymch saw the published documents as a threat to the independence of Abkhazia’s institutions and issued a strongly worded statement.
In its view, the list of measures in the cooperation plans illustrates the Abkhaz Interior Ministry’s inability to handle basic tasks independently.
“If you put together everything the Abkhaz Interior Ministry cannot handle on its own under this plan, you end up with a complete list of the ministry’s responsibilities,” Apsuaa Rymch members said.
Like Arshba, they objected to the provisions on information sharing and search operations. Apsuaa Rymch drew a direct parallel between agreements to monitor people capable of destabilising border regions and what it called “punitive” decisions against individual Abkhaz public figures.
“The documents list the transfer of information about individuals destabilising the operational situation to relevant Russian agencies as one of the measures to be carried out… What is this, if not an example of shifting responsibilities and laying the groundwork for pressure?” Apsuaa Rymch asked, calling for a legal review of the agreements and the publication of their full texts.
Critics of the documents argue that the public and parliament have not received a full account of the details of the interagency agreements covering 2024–2025 and 2026–2027.
The Interior Ministry’s position
The Interior Ministry itself takes a very different view of the agreements and the actual results of cooperation between the two agencies.
In interviews with television channels, Interior Minister Robert Kiut explained the arrangements in detail. He stressed that the ministry’s work focuses strictly on protecting citizens and maintaining law and order, and remains separate from politics.
According to the minister, speculation surrounding the cooperation plans has no real basis because the mechanism rests on a long-standing legal framework.
“The current cooperation plan between the Abkhaz and Russian interior ministries introduces no new obligations. It operates within the framework of existing basic interstate agreements signed in 2009 and 2014.
Abkhaz law unquestionably retains priority. The mechanism has been in place for more than five years, and the coordination we have established serves exclusively to address practical security issues,” Kiut said.
The minister urged people to judge the cooperation by its concrete results rather than political slogans. In particular, Robert Kiut said that joint efforts with Russian colleagues had dismantled around four major drug supply routes in 2025–2026.
According to the minister, another major achievement for the Interior Ministry was resolving the issue of maternity capital.
“Thanks to cooperation with Russian law enforcement agencies, around 400 Abkhaz citizens who had previously been listed as suspects in the illegal cashing-out of [maternity capital] have been reclassified as witnesses, effectively shielding them from criminal prosecution,” Kiut said.
He also expects technological advances to mark a significant step forward. Joint projects at the new Information and Coordination Centre, which is under construction, will include a modern DNA laboratory. This will reduce the time needed to conduct forensic examinations from a year and a half to just a few days.
Public demand for transparency
Overall, the debate surrounding the Interior Ministry’s cooperation plans has highlighted public demand for greater transparency in government decision-making. People are calling for full openness and the protection of sovereignty, fearing any form of institutional secrecy.
The Abkhaz parliament will probably hold hearings on the interagency agreements in the near future. Some MPs believe the documents need to be checked for compliance with Abkhazia’s constitution.
The terminology, place names and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this website.