"He made a laughing stock of us": Abkhaz opposition reacts to ex-president Aslan Bzhania’s visit to Adygea
Former Abkhaz president Aslan Bzhania, as part of an official delegation, met with the head of Adygea (a constituent entity of the Russian Federation).
The Abkhaz opposition felt insulted, as they viewed Bzhania as a political and moral bankrupt who has no right to represent Abkhazia anywhere.
Aslan Bzhania was forced to resign in November 2024 following a minor coup triggered by his persistent attempts to ratify the Russian-Abkhaz investment agreement.
According to the opposition, Bzhania pushed through this and other deeply unfavorable laws and agreements with Russia to serve his own interests and those of certain Russian oligarchs.
At present, Bzhania holds no official position, but the new president, Badr Gunba, comes from his team.
Although it is not customary in Abkhazia to conduct opinion polls to gauge the popularity of politicians, Aslan Bzhania is believed to have had extremely low approval ratings.
Bzhania’s visit to Adygea (specifically to its capital, Maykop) was timed to coincide with the 95th anniversary of Adygea’s People’s Writer, Iskhak Mashbash. In Maykop, the Abkhaz delegation—which included Vice President of Abkhazia Beslan Bigvava and Head of the Presidential Administration Beslan Eshba alongside Bzhania—met with the head of Adygea, Murat Kumpilov. A photo from this meeting triggered a wave of strong criticism from all Abkhaz opposition groups.
“We are deeply offended by the presence of the ousted former president Bzhania, along with Vice President Bigvava and Head of the Presidential Administration Eshba, at a reception hosted by Adygea’s leader Murat Kumpilov.
In our view, his presence discredits Abkhazia and its people, making a laughing stock of our country in the eyes of the fraternal Adyghe nation,” the Aydgylara party stated.
“Aslan Bzhania is a figure whose political and moral bankruptcy is self-evident. He is a man ousted from office under the weight of public contempt.
During his years in power, he consistently betrayed Abkhazia’s core interests: undermining relations with Russia, persecuting dissenters, and trading national dignity for the sake of clinging to personal power and profit. His rule became a symbol of political decline, corruption, and deep institutional decay,” read a joint statement by several opposition organizations.
The Abkhaz government’s response to the uproar came in the form of a post on the official state news agency Apsnypress, announcing that the Adyghe writer Iskhak Mashbash had been awarded the title of People’s Writer of Abkhazia.
The report casually noted that the official Abkhaz delegation consisted of only two people – Vice President Beslan Bigvava and Head of the Presidential Administration Beslan Eshba. In other words, the authorities subtly hinted that Bzhania had travelled to Adygea in an unofficial capacity.
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