Sniper opens fire on funeral in Abkhazia; crime boss believed target

Sniper fires at funeral in Abkhazia

In Abkhazia, a sniper fired at a funeral procession. The main target is believed to have been the crime boss Raul Bartba. He and four other people were wounded.

The attack took place in Sukhumi. Hiding in an abandoned house, the unidentified shooter opened fire on the passing procession with a sniper rifle.

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According to numerous eyewitness accounts, the first bullet struck the well-known criminal figure Raul (Pyza) Bartba in the abdomen. Several more random shots followed.

In addition to Bartba, four other people with no connection to the criminal world were wounded. All of them have been hospitalized. One of the victims, Almas Kvitsinia – the brother of Abkhazia’s ambassador to Russia – is in critical condition.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an operation code-named “Interception,” but it produced no results.

All that was found were the shooter’s mask and gloves, left behind in the abandoned house from which the attack was carried out.

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Media outlets specializing in crime reporting, despite the fact that the perpetrator has not been caught, claim that Raul Bartba was avenged by his “colleague” – another crime boss, Temur (Guli) Kapba. Kapba and Bartba had been in conflict for a long time, and in August 2025, during a “meeting” convened by Bartba, Kapba was beaten and stripped of his “criminal title.”

The opposition responded to the incident by demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kiut.

“Each such incident is a verdict on the current model of law enforcement management. Meaningless raids, showy reports, and formal press releases have nothing to do with the real fight against crime.

Behind the façade of ‘successful reports’ lies a paralysis of governance and the impunity of armed criminal groups,” the joint statement by Abkhaz opposition organizations said.

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