Clashes erupt outside parliament in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region as hundreds protest Russian investment deal

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Georgia’s Russian-backed separatist region of Abkhazia on Friday as lawmakers prepared to consider a draft investment agreement with Moscow. After refusing to disperse when the day’s legislative session was cancelled, the demonstrators broke through the gates and ultimately entered the parliament building, where they reportedly demanded the resignation of the republic’s president. Shortly after, Russian state media reported that the document to ratify the investment deal had been withdrawn. Here’s what we know.

Major clashes broke out on Friday in Sukhumi, the capital of the Russian-backed Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, as law enforcement tried to disperse a protest against an economic agreement with Russia, according to local Telegram channel Respublika and the outlet Ekho Kavkaza.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the parliament building early in the day, as deputies were scheduled to review a draft investment agreement between Sukhumi and Moscow. The demonstrators, who have argued the deal would benefit “oligarchs,” carried both Abkhazian and Russian flags in an effort to dispel the notion that they’re “anti-Russian.”

According to opposition leader Adgur Ardzinba, a group of parliamentarians urged the speaker to remove the ratification of the agreement from the agenda. Ardzinba also called on the authorities to “postpone all contentious issues that divide the people” until the upcoming presidential elections in 2025. “If the authorities don’t agree to this, all responsibility for any potential consequences in the coming days will fall squarely on the president of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, and his inner circle,” Ardzinba said.

Friday’s parliamentary session was ultimately cancelled, and the agenda including the agreement was not approved. The protesters, however, demanded that the deputies go further by holding a session and voting against the draft agreement. Tensions escalated between the protesters and police, with protesters throwing eggs at security forces, breaking the fence around the parliament building, and entering the building’s grounds.

In response to the escalation, law enforcement officials released tear gas and, according to Telegram reports, launched smoke grenades into the crowd. Gunshots were also reportedly heard near the parliament, though no injuries from guns were reported.

According to Respublika, the head of the president’s personal security team approached the protesters and promised to pass along their demands. Dmitry Kuchuberiya, the head of the republic’s security service, and Robert Kiut, the “internal affairs minister,” also attempted to negotiate with the demonstrators. After these attempts, the protesters surrounded the complex of government buildings, including the presidential administration building.

At around 4:00 p.m. local time, Respublika reported that protesters had broken into the parliament building itself and were calling for Aslan Bzhania’s resignation. Minutes later, Russian state media reported that the authorities in Abkhazia were withdrawing the document on the investment deal’s ratification, citing Bzhania’s press service.

In October, Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov and Abkhazia’s Deputy Prime Minister Kristina Ozgan signed an agreement allowing Russian companies to implement investment projects in the republic. Abkhazian authorities argue that the agreement will benefit the local economy, while the opposition views it as a “direct surrender of the republic’s interests.”

On November 11, the Abkhazian parliament adopted a law regulating the status of mixed-use developments in the republic, which included references to the Russian investment agreement. On the same day, the republic’s State Security Service arrested activists opposing the agreement’s ratification. Authorities claimed the detentions followed a scuffle in the parliament courtyard.

After the arrests, protests broke out in Sukhumi, with demonstrators blocking traffic across three bridges leading into the city. Traffic was restored once the activists were released.