Head of Abkhaz diaspora in Rostov remanded in pre-trial detention over 'anti-Russian statements'
The head of the Abkhaz diaspora in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Irakli Bzhinava, has been accused of making “anti-Russian statements” and placed in a pre-trial detention centre used for suspects in war crimes cases.
Abkhazia’s president, Badra Gunba, said he was “monitoring” the case of his compatriot.
Irakli Bzhinava is a candidate of legal sciences, a specialist in constitutional law and a lecturer at Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don. On 4 February 2026, he was detained by Russian law enforcement on charges of making “anti-Russian statements” and “inciting interethnic hatred online”. A court ordered his pre-trial detention for two months.
The detention centre where Bzhinava is being held houses suspects accused of war crimes. The facility has a negative reputation, with social media users alleging that detainees are often subjected to severe torture to extract information and confessions.
Social media posts have also linked Bzhinava’s detention to his stance on the issuing of Russian domestic passports in Abkhazia.
Abkhazia’s foreign ministry says Irakli Bzhinava has been provided with all necessary legal assistance, adding that the honorary consul of Abkhazia in Rostov-on-Don is “in contact with his relatives and working with them on arising issues within his полномочия”.
President Badra Gunba said he was keeping the case under personal control.
“We are working through the special services on this detention,” he said.
He also noted that, in addition to Abkhaz citizenship, Bzhinava holds Russian citizenship and has lived in Russia in recent years.
Irakli Bzhinava is the second Abkhaz citizen to face “extremism”-related charges in Russia. Shortly before his detention, a military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Abkhaz blogger Timur Agrba to five and a half years in a penal colony for creating what prosecutors described as a “heroic image” of Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev.
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Head of Abkhaz diaspora detained in Rostov
