Russian political strategists secretly worked for pro-presidential candidates in Abkhazia

Russian political consultants in Abkhazia

In Abkhazia, the opposition has uncovered a group of Russian political strategists who had been secretly working for pro-presidential candidates ahead of the local elections scheduled for 8 November.

A group of activists led by opposition MP Kan Kvarchia detained three Russian nationals — Ivan Reva, Pavel Timofeyev and Dmitry Budykin — who were allegedly assisting the pro-presidential bloc Team Abkhazia. The detainees were handed over to the State Security Service, with the opposition demanding their expulsion from the republic and a full-scale investigation.

The opposition has also called for the disqualification of all candidates associated with Team Abkhazia, the group said to have employed the Russian consultants.

According to local media reports, the State Security Service has already escorted Reva, Timofeyev and Budykin out of Abkhazia. No criminal case has been opened for violating Abkhazian law.

How they worked in Abkhazia

Local media and opposition Telegram channels say that an office was set up in Sukhum, near the presidential administration, where Russian citizens published the pro-presidential newspaper Abkhazian Herald without any permits, presenting it as a local outlet.

The office also coordinated a mass campaign supporting Team Abkhazia.

When pressed by opposition representatives, Ivan Reva admitted he was the editor of Abkhazian Herald and the author of its articles. He also said he had hired people and paid them to remove election posters of Team Abkhazia’s opponents.

In a private conversation, Reva said that Russian political consultants were working on behalf of the Abkhazian presidential administration.

Another consultant detained by the opposition, Pavel Timofeev, was reportedly seen working directly within the election commission, a serious breach of the law.

The opposition Telegram channel AIASHARA quoted Reva as saying he was “waiting for representatives of the presidential administration to resolve the situation.”

However, no one from the presidential administration showed up, and neither the election commission nor the president’s press office issued any comment.

Georgy Gabunia, head of the non-profit organisation Team Abkhazia, publicly said he “does not know any political consultants.”

Details: methods used by Russian consultants

Opposition figures handed two political consultants over to the state security service. It appears the authorities first examined their phones and gadgets.

Local media and social networks in Abkhazia have published screenshots and audio recordings showing politically improper methods used to support the pro-presidential “Team Abkhazia”.

The released materials show the detained Russian consultants paid campaigners and communicated directly with pro-government candidates. They drafted manuals, prepared voter meeting programs, and wrote scripts for TV appearances.

In one published message, candidate Said Ashuba names Ivan Reva and asks him to urgently order posters because his opponent “already ordered 1,000 copies.”

Also published were prepared answers, drafted by the Russian consultants, for the same candidate to potential voter questions.

The security services issued a statement saying they “are investigating the incident and urge citizens and media to refrain from premature conclusions and spreading unverified information.”

‘Chaos fuelled by an artificial divide between ‘pro-Russian’ and ‘anti-Russian’ citizens’

A group of socio-political parties and movements issued a joint statement expressing concern over serious violations and the use of administrative resources to benefit pro-government candidates, as well as inappropriate interference in the electoral process by the invited political consultants.

“They said the current situation is a direct consequence of former president Aslan Bzhania’s policies and the silent, and sometimes active, consent of President Badra Gunba, which have divided citizens into ‘pro-Russian’ and ‘anti-Russian’ groups.

False accusations against citizens without any evidence have destabilised the social and political environment.

We all witnessed the atmosphere during the presidential elections in Abkhazia, when political forces were artificially divided into ‘pro-Western,’ ‘pro-Turkish,’ and ‘pro-Russian.’ The invited political consultants, with no understanding of Abkhaz traditions or culture, acted aggressively and relied entirely on lies and manipulation.

Today, we see the continuation of the same chaos in the local government elections. The PR specialists have crossed all acceptable boundaries and moral norms, basing their work on blatant bribery and deception.

The course towards friendship with the Russian people reflects a consolidated position of the Abkhaz people and is not open for revision. Citizens of the Republic of Abkhazia will not accept the use of a fabricated narrative of ‘anti-Russian forces in Abkhazia,’ as such statements pose a direct threat to national security and interstate relations,” the statement said.

The authors called on the president to ensure the conditions necessary for free and fair elections.

Commentaries

Tengiz Djopua, a publicist, filmmaker, and member of Abkhazia’s Public Chamber, said:

“What kind of wording is this — an ‘incident’?

An incident usually refers to an event caused by a technical failure, accident, or some other disruption of a normal process, resulting in socially dangerous consequences or damage to the interests of an individual, organisation, or the state.

Here, however, you have an event that shows every sign of breaking the law. Foreign citizens carried out illegal activities on your territory, directly or indirectly interfering in the electoral process, producing and distributing printed materials treated as media without any authorisation from competent state authorities.

They were living here without temporary registration and disregarding your rules entirely.

It would only be an ‘incident’ if, by some accident or unexplained reason, a printer had eaten the three of them. That would be an incident.

And why were they expelled? Were the checks carried out? Maybe there are signs of a law violation. Don’t rush — maybe there’s a corpse under the sofa, or microfilm in the heel of a shoe.”

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Russian political consultants in Abkhazia