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Abkhazian Foreign Agents
Article originally published on the website “Echo of the Caucasus.” Text and terminology of the article presented without alteration. All rights belong to “Echo of the Caucasus.” Publication date March 25, 2025.
Author: Khatia Khasaia
Not even a month has passed since the first Russian “foreign agent” appeared in Abkhazia, and the list is growing. The Russian Ministry of Justice has added well-known local journalists Izida Chania and Nizfa Arshba to its registry. Arshba’s inclusion on the list struck many as particularly strange, since she does not hold Russian citizenship.
Just a few hours before the two Abkhaz journalists were declared “foreign agents,” the Russian TV channel NTV aired a segment that many have called a “public denunciation.” It claimed that opposition journalists in Abkhazia receive funding from USAID, spread anti-Russian sentiment, and question the “correctness” of the people’s political choices.
In the segment, Chania and Arshba were labeled “strangers among their own,” and two hours later they were officially designated as individuals acting in the interests of a foreign state — “foreign agents.”
Izida Chania is the head of Nuzhnaya Gazeta, while Nizfa Arshba leads the news agency Aiashara. The Russian Ministry of Justice justified their inclusion in the registry using standard phrasing:
“Nizfa Arshba disseminated false information about decisions made by public authorities of the Russian Federation and their policies, as well as about the electoral system. She is the founder and head of a foreign publication.”
“Izida Chania took part in distributing to an unlimited audience materials and messages from foreign agents. As an employee of a foreign publication, she spread false information about decisions made by public authorities of the Russian Federation and their policies, as well as about the electoral system. She collaborates with an online platform linked to an organization included in the list of foreign and international NGOs whose activities are deemed undesirable in the Russian Federation.”
Similar reasoning accompanied the designation of the first “foreign agent” in Abkhazia — Inal Khashig, editor-in-chief of Chegemskaya Pravda. He was accused of spreading “fake news” about Russian authorities and of maintaining contacts with foreign politicians.
Many saw the designation of Inal Khashig as a warning shot. The pro-government Telegram channel AMRA-life hinted at the time that more Abkhaz journalists would soon appear in the registry. Izida Chania was first on the rumored list to receive the designation, and there were even whispers of her being stripped of Russian citizenship — as happened with two opposition members of the Abkhaz parliament, Levan Mikaa and Kan Kvarchia. Both Chania and later Arshba were accused by pro-government anonymous sources of supporting the November protests that led to the resignation of President Aslan Bzhania.
A report by another Russian TV channel, Ren TV, cited as “evidence” a piece by Arshba in which she opposed the transfer of Abkhaz land to Russian investors — an issue that has already sparked mass discontent among the people of Abkhazia.
Nizfa Arshba was the only journalist who dared travel to a hospital in Sochi to cover the incident involving a Russian tourist who was shot in the leg in Abkhazia for appearing shirtless in a public place. The incident was kept quiet by both Abkhaz and Russian authorities and media outlets.
Another curious detail in Arshba’s case is that, unlike most Abkhazians, she does not hold dual citizenship. The only passport she has is Abkhaz. But this did not prevent the Russian Ministry of Justice from adding her to the registry.
“As for being declared a ‘foreign agent’: I am not a citizen of the Russian Federation and never have been. And Abkhazia is not Russia,” Arshba said in a short video statement commenting on her new status.
However, the foreign agent law is not directly tied to citizenship. The designation can be applied to anyone, regardless of their passport. For example, in April 2023, Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev — who has never held Russian citizenship — was added to the foreign agent registry.
Opposition Telegram channels contend that Izida Chania, Nizfa Arshba, and Inal Khashig have become victims of what they call “outsourced repression.” In their view, the blacklisting of these journalists is an initiative of the former — but recently revived — Abkhaz leadership, following the elections.
“Their only offense was openly and justifiably criticizing Abkhaz officials involved in corruption schemes, in the embezzlement of Russian financial aid to Abkhazia. They exposed shady dealings in the renovation of the ‘Achguara’ high-voltage substation, and the illegal installation of tens of thousands of cryptocurrency mining farms — which continue to operate today, enriching Abkhaz officials through blatant misuse of Russian humanitarian energy transfers,” wrote the Telegram channel D News.
As it stands, all editors of independent media in Abkhazia have now been declared foreign agents. According to Liana Kvarchelia, a board member of the Abkhaz NGO Center for Humanitarian Programs, “in reality, it’s freedom of speech itself that has been declared a foreign agent.”
All the journalists who have received this designation were outspoken critics of controversial government initiatives that have repeatedly sparked mass protests. The most recent of these — the Russian-Abkhaz investment agreement — led to the resignation of President Aslan Bzhania. Despite differing views, the public largely agrees that the Abkhaz authorities have a duty to protect their own citizens.
But even two weeks after the first “foreign agent” designation in Abkhazia, representatives of the leadership have yet to issue any official response. Nor did they react to the revocation of Russian citizenship for opposition members of parliament. Even after Human Rights Commissioner Anas Kishmaria called on the government to respond officially to the sanctions against Abkhaz citizens and to provide information about measures taken or planned, the authorities have remained silent.
In response, a number of civil and political organizations in Abkhazia have demanded the resignation of Foreign Minister Sergey Shamba. The main reasons cited are his neglect of official duties and inability to effectively defend Abkhazia’s sovereignty and citizens’ rights.
“We expect the appointment of a new minister who will be ready to: publicly state the Republic of Abkhazia’s position on each case of sanctions against its citizens; launch a diplomatic initiative with the Russian Federation; and present a plan to the public for lifting individual sanctions,” declared the Committee for the Defense of Abkhazia’s Sovereignty in an appeal to the newly elected president.
The public organization Aidgylara believes that current events show that the new administration, led by Badra Gunba, fails to grasp the full threat posed by the “surrender of sovereignty” course set by former president Aslan Bzhania. According to them, by adopting a conciliatory, passive stance, the new leadership is effectively continuing the same policy.
Critics argue that the sanctions could damage Russian-Abkhaz relations and lead to further tensions. Civil activist Tengiz Djopua sees a long-term risk for Moscow, which, he warns, may alienate the “centers of Abkhaz self-awareness,” eventually causing the entire nation to turn away from Russia.
“There’s already a crack in the relationship, and it’s widening. Trust has undoubtedly been replaced by suspicion and a feigned sincerity — descending from the top and quickly spreading to the grassroots, where it never really existed. These are not yet anti-Russian sentiments, but rather a premonition of their rapid approach — and that is the saddest and most dangerous part of this policy,” Djopua says.
The public warns: if there is no clear and public response from the authorities in the near future, if the situation continues to be ignored, it will lead to a deep political crisis with potentially devastating consequences for everyone. The effects of a loss of government legitimacy in Abkhazia are all too well known.
