Russian rapper’s concert in Abkhazia: Start of the president's election campaign?

Basta’s concert in Abkhazia

On August 26, Russian rapper Basta will perform at the Dynamo Stadium in the capital of Abkhazia. Social media suggests that this may mark the unofficial start of president Aslan Bzhaniya’s election campaign. This speculation arises from the fact that attendance at the supposedly “free” concert is restricted to invitation-only tickets issued by the president.

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Initially, it was announced that entry to the concert would be open to the public. However, the Abkhazian Ministry of Culture later stated that admission would be by invitation-only tickets, which could be obtained “today from 3 to 7 p.m. at the box office of the Samson Chanba Drama Theatre.”

At the designated time, a long queue formed at the box office, and there were not enough invitations for everyone.

Concert organizers explained the situation by noting that the Dynamo Stadium has a capacity of 4,300 spectators and simply cannot accommodate all those interested.

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According to critics of the government, the use of invitation-only tickets is seen as a way to suggest that Basta’s performance in Abkhazia was made possible solely by Aslan Bzhaniya.

The invitation tickets are signed on behalf of the president, implying that Aslan Bzhaniya himself is inviting people to the concert. Critics view this as a covert PR campaign in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for March 2025.

Several Telegram channels reported that 20 million rubles (approximately $220,000) from the state budget were allocated for the free concert.

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