How award weapons from South Ossetia end up 'in the wrong hands' – and what Georgia does with it
A scandal has erupted again in South Ossetia over so-called “award” weapons, which are allegedly smuggled from Georgia. Similar incidents occurred in the past, during the presidency of Leonid Tibilov.
In Tskhinval, the case involving Tibilov, the head of the South Ossetian interior ministry, Ahsar Lavoev, and Russian collector Eduard Budantsev is still remembered. The main issue is that these weapons are often “awarded” but in reality are sold indiscriminately, later appearing in criminal cases, mostly in Russia.
Paid ‘award‘
The authors of the portal Criminal Russia claimed in their investigation that “the trade in award weapons has reached a large scale in South Ossetia,” implicating President Tibilov and his inner circle.
“On 14 December 2015, Budantsev, together with former colleagues, staged a shooting in central Moscow. That evening, the former first deputy commander of SOBR TsRUBOP fired at opponents using a Beretta-92 pistol, which he had received as an award weapon from the president of South Ossetia,” the outlet reported.
According to their account, “an unconventional corruption machine was officially launched in 2012 and went into full swing with the appointment of Ahzar Lavoiev as interior minister. Together with Leonid Tibilov’s chief of personal security, Valery Bikoiev (Biko), they began arming anyone who could pay a substantial sum with Glocks and Berettas.”
In 2017, during televised debates ahead of the presidential elections, the then-speaker of the South Ossetian parliament, Anatoly Bibilov, repeatedly questioned Tibilov about who had received around 700 award pistols during his five-year presidency and for what services to South Ossetia. He also asked why, for example, Russian businessman of Ingush origin Mikhail Gutseriev appeared on the list of recipients.
Bibilov later became president himself, and by 2021 he faced similar accusations. A document circulated on social media bearing his signature showed that a businessman named Rasul Laipanov had been awarded a GLOCK 19.
Gagloev’s turn
A few years later, the “reward” system reached the current president, Alan Gagloev. According to authors of the anonymous Telegram channel Abkhazia-Center, the South Ossetian authorities resumed distributing Austrian Glock pistols to members of Russia’s criminal circles.
“The reward lists of South Ossetia again include Austrian Glocks. Previously, thousands were handed out to Russians, and the presidential reward fund also listed popular Beretta and SIG Sauer pistols.
Where does a republic, which survived military aggression from Georgia and its Western allies, get such a surplus of elite foreign weapons? Apparently, these are the ‘luxury leftovers’ from the times when the fund served as a channel for legalising weapons in Russia.
Official statistics for 2024 have not yet been published, but experts estimate the total number of reward weapons in Russia at 19,000–21,000 units. How many came as ‘foreign gifts’ from South Ossetia remains unknown.”
Among the “recipients” were high-ranking officials, prominent politicians, and influential businessmen.
The channel’s authors claim that the scale of these transfers became so alarming that Moscow had to intervene, banning the legalisation of such “honorary gifts” in Russia.
According to the channel, after Russian authorities blocked the channels for registering such weapons, large stocks of Glocks accumulated in South Ossetia. These pistols were originally intended for Russia but can no longer enter the country legally. The surplus is now reportedly being circulated within South Ossetia itself.
One source speaking to JAMnews said that the supply routes from Georgia were established during Leonid Tibilov’s presidency, so it is “not surprising that his protégé Alan Gagloev may have been tempted”:
“Under Tibilov, these guns were shipped from Georgia, registered locally there, and then sent to South Ossetia. But the Georgian authorities cracked down on this smuggling. Many people went to prison in Georgia for it, but not here.”
However, the Telegram channel authors and JAMnews reporters have so far provided no evidence linking Gagloev directly to the “reward pistol business.”
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South Ossetia reward weapons
