33-year-old murder solved in Abkhazia, suspect to face trial in Russia
Abkhazia solves cold murder case
A double murder committed 33 years ago in Abkhazia has been solved, with the suspected perpetrator set to stand trial in Russia.
The killings took place in the resort town of Pitsunda in February 1993, during the Georgian-Abkhaz war.
According to investigators, on 13 February 1993, Russian citizen Svetlana Zhdanova deliberately shot dead local residents Tamerlan Daurov and Leonid Pachev with an assault rifle before dismembering their bodies and concealing the remains.
Two weeks later, on 28 February 1993, Zhdanova allegedly attempted to kill Aslan Pachev, Leonid’s brother. She opened machine-gun fire at him, but missed.
Zhdanova later left for Russia and was placed on the wanted list, but investigators were unable to locate her at the time.
Crimes of this nature are not subject to a statute of limitations. In March 2026, the double murder case was reopened after Russian law enforcement authorities located and arrested Zhdanova, 33 years after the killings.
During questioning, she admitted involvement in the double murder in Pitsunda, according to investigators.
On 30 June 2026, Abkhazia’s prosecutor general’s office sent the case file to Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office to pursue criminal proceedings.
As Zhdanova is a Russian citizen and Russian law prohibits the extradition of Russian nationals, she will stand trial in Russia under a bilateral agreement between Russia and Abkhazia.
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